BX  7260   .M57  S67  1874 
Sprague,  William  Buell,  1795 
-1876. 

The  life  of  Jedidiah  Morse 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/lifeofjedidiahmoOOspra 


T  H  E  L  I  F  E 

f      AUG  10  1965 

OF  ?  ^  

.  y 

JEDIDIAH   MORSE,  D.D. 

BY 

WILLIAM   B.   SPRAC.ri:,   D.D.,  LL-D. 


NEW  YORK: 
ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  COMPANY, 

770  BROADWAY,  COR.  9th  ST. 


Reproduced  by 

DUOPAGE  PROCESS 
in  the 
U.S.  of  America 


Micro  Photo  Division 
Bell  &  Howell  Q>[npany 
Geveland  12,  Ohio 


DP  #  6169 


I 


cornuGBT,  1874, 

BV  RlCUAKD  C.  MOKSK. 


■  OSetT  lUTTCI. 
•INOEB. 

M  MMBAB   tlUit.  ■.  T> 


EDWABO  O.  JCNCINS. 
raiHTE*  AND  STEBEOTTPCB. 
M  BMIB  atuua  St.,  a.  i. 


PREFACE. 

[Written  with  a  vieir  to  pablication  in  the  year  18G7.] 


NoTWTTHSTAXDiNO  varioDS  and  somewhat  extended 
notices  of  Dr.  Morse  liav»;  appeared  on  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic,  no  continuous  history  of  his  life  has  ever  been 
written  till  this  time. 

It  is  fitting  that  there  should  be  some  explanation  of 
the  departure,  in  this  volume,  from  the  ordinary  mode  of 
constincting  a  iNIemoir  by  an-anging  the  principal  events 
of  the  life,  as  far  as  may  Ik?,  in  chronological  order.  This 
wjus  what  was  herc  at  fii"st  attempted  ;  but  it  was  quickly 
found  that  the  life,  in  this  case,  wjis  of  so  mixed  and 
divei-sified  a  character,  and  so  prominently  identified  with 
almost  ever}'  great  movement  of  the  periotl  into  which  it 
fell,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  present  it  to  advantage 
in  the  foiin  of  a  continuous  and  orderly  narrative.  After 
considerable  reflection,  the  plan  here  adopted  was  deter- 
mined \i[>on — that  is,  presenting  an  outline  of  the  history 
of  Dr.  Morse's  life,  sufficient  to  meet  the  wishes  of  those 
who  have  not  the  time  or  the  uichnatiou  to  go  into  its 
miiuiter  details,  while,  without  involving  the  necessity  of 
nuich  repetitioUj  it  may  serve  as  the  basis  or  starting-point 
of  a  record  of  what  he  accomplished  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  active  usefulness.  Nearly  everything  of  intere&l; 
pertaining  to  his  histoiy  down  to  the  period  of  his  settlo> 


IV 


PREFACE. 


iiient  iu  Charlcstown,  will  be  found  in  the  outline ;  but 
from  that  time  onward  the  scn'icfs  which  he  rendeixKl  iu 
diftorent  spheres  form  the  subjects  of  as  many  distinct 
chai)tei's. 

No  smtill  embamiisment  has  been  exiierienced  in  the 
pivpanition  of  this  ^lonioir,  partly  from  a  difficulty  of 
selecting  from  the  nuiltifunu  laboi-s  of  Dr.  Moi"se  those 
which  ai"e  most  worthy  of  an  enduring  itx'ord,  and  pailly 
from  the  inunense  m:iss  of  mateiial  out  of  which  such  a 
i-ecord  w:is  to  be  formed.  So  numei-ous  and  intimate 
wei-e  his  relations  with  passing  events,  that  his  life  might 
have  easily  been  made  the  germ  of  the  general  history  of 
his  time  ;  but  as  nothing  so  extensive  as  that  was  contem- 
plated, it  h:is  only  remained  to  select  those  facts  and 
experiences  in  his  life  which  have  proved  of  tiie  greatest 
interest,  introducing  only  so  nuich  of  the  history  of  the 
period  :ts  w;is  necessjiry  to  illustrate  their  comiections.  So 
rich  and  varied  and  extensive  was  his  c<>ri-esix)udcnce,  that 
several  selections  of  lettei-s  might  have  Infu  made, 
shedding  light  upon  the  principal  events  of  his  life,  that 
would  have  l)een  scarcely  inferior,  in  point  of  interest,  to 
those  which  are  scattered  through  this  volume. 

As  Dr.  Moi*se  lived  at  an  eventful  period,  especially  in 
the  reJigiom  history-  of  New  England,  and  w:is  i>erhai>s 
more  signally  identified  than  any  other  man  with  the 
great  controvers}"^  of  his  day,  it  w:is  not  to  be  exijccted 
that  he  should  eSL*ape  animadversion.  Accordingly,  we 
find  that  he  was  brought  into  conflict  with  some  distin- 
guished individuals,  and  diff*ered  widely  in  opinion  with 
many  othei-s  ;  but  the  details  of  these  conflicts  or  ditTer- 
ences,  l>eyond  what  is  absolutely  due  to  histonc  fidelity,  it 
has  not  been  thought  desirable  to  record.  The  controversj* 
which  he  had  with  ^liss  Ilanuah  Adams,  though,  to  some 
extent,  of  a  personal  nature,  wjis  i)erhai>s  too  important  in 
some  of  its  l)eariugs  to  Ik?  iguoi-eil ;  but  the  brief  state- 


PREFACE. 


V 


ment  of  the  ler.ding  facts  connected  with  it  in  the  letter 
bj  Mr.  Sidney  E.  Morse  supersedes,  it  is  l)elieved,  the 
necessity  of  any  formal  notice  of  it  in  the  narrative  of 
Dr.  Mojse's  life. 

It  is  an  act  of  simple  justice  to  say  that  ^Ir.  Kichard  C. 
Moivic,  the  youngest  of  Dr.  Morse's  sons,  has  performed 
an  amount  of  lalK)r  in  connection  with  this  volume,  that 
has  rendered  it  somewhat  difficult  for  me  to  allow  my  own 
name  to  appear,  unaccompanied  h}'  his,  on  the  title  Jiage. 
To  him  belonirs  the  credit  of  jratherinjr  into  a  continuous 
series  nearly  all  the  lettei-s  that  are  published,  out  of  an 
amount  of  coiTcspondeiice  that  is  tndy  appalling  ;  and  my 
own  i)ersonal  examination  h:is  sjitistied  me  of  the  good 
judgment  and  taste  generally  manifested  in  the  selection. 

^lany  facts  in  his  father's  histoiy,  which  do  n<i  find  a 
place  in  this  volume,  have  Iwen  iisceilained  and  fixed 
through  his  indefatigable  i-esearches, — all  whicli  will  of 
e()ui"sc  l>e  carefully  preserved  in  manuscript  for  the  benefit 
of  posteiity.  1  have  endeavoivd  to  peifonn  the  office 
.•issigned  me  with  all  impartiality  and  fidelity,  while  yet  I 
am  quite  aware  that  the  result  of  niy  effort  falls  far  short 
of  what  is  due  to  the  memory-  of  my  illustrious  subject 


This  Memoir  was  prejwred  sevenil  yeare  ago  at  the 
request  of  the  late  sons  of  Dr.  Morse.  Owing  to  a  delay 
in  the  prepanition  of  lettera  of  reminiscences  by  them, it 
was  not  rejidy  for  publication  l)cforc  their  death.  These 
letters,  as  found  among  their  papcra,  arc  now  furnished  to 
me  by  Dr.  Alorse's  grandson,  Mr.  Richard  C.  Morse,  and 
make  part  of  this  volame. 

W.  R  Spr^vgue. 

FLUsnixo,  3faf/  1,  1874. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Section  I.  Page. 

Outline  of  his  Life   1 

Skctiov  it. 

Details  of  his  History  and  Development  of  his  Character  

Chaptkr  I. 

11  is  Labours  as  a  Parish  Minister   20 

Chapter  II. 

II is  Labours  in  connection  with  the  Unitarian  Controversy   4G 

Establishment  of  the  Pano{)Iist   C5 

General  Association  of  Massachusetts   72 

Andovcr  Theoloj^ical,  Seminary.    91 

Establishment  of  Park-street  Church   112 

Dorchester  Controversy   115 

Pamphlet  on  American  Unitarianism   120 

Chapter  III. 

His  Labours  as  a  Philanthropist   128 

Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel   128 

Massachusetts  Emigrant  Society   137 

Establishment  of  the  Xavy  Yard,  Charlestown   139 

In  behalf  of  Africans   141 

Chaplaincy  of  the  State  Prison   14S 

Circulation  of  Religious  Tracts   loO 

Circulation  of  the  Bible   157 

Foreign  Mi.ssions   102 

Association  for  Reformation  of  Morals   107 

In  behalf  of  Indians..   107 

Chapter  IY. 

His  Labours  as  a  Qeogripher   192 


ym  TABLE  OF  CONTEXTS. 

Chapter  V.  P«««. 
His  Labours  in  other  departments  of  Authorship   223 

Chapter  VI. 

His  Labours  in  connection  with  the  Politics  of  his  day,  and 
kindred  subjects  229 

Chapter  VII. 

His  Domestic  and  Social  Relations   244 

Chapter  VIII. 

His  Correspondence   250 

Chapter  IX. 

Suuimar}'  of  his  Character  257 

Chapter  X. 

Letters  of  Reminiscences   2C6 

1.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse   2GG 

2.  Sidney  E.  Morse   201) 

3.  Richard  C.  Morse   284 

Chapter  XI. 

Letters  of  Personal  RecDilcctions  291 

1.  Benjamin  Silliman,  L.L.D   292 

2.  Rev.  Daniel  Dana,  D.D   297 

3.  :Miss  Lucy  Osgo^wl   302 

4.  Rev.  Leonard  Bacon  306 

Irolex  311 


M  E  M  O  I  H 

or 

JEDIDIAH  MORSE,  D.D. 


OUTLINE  OF  mS  LIFE. 

Jedidiah  Morse  was  a  descendant,  in  tlie  fifth 
generation,  from  Anthony  Morse,  who  came  to 
this  country  from  Marlborough,  Wiltshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1035,  and  settled  in  Newbury,  Massachu- 
setts. Peter  Morse,  the  grandson  of  Anthony, 
removed  about  the  year  1698  to  New  Roxbury, 
then  in  Massachusetts,  though  it  subsequently 
pas-ed  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Connecticut,  and 
took  the  name  of  Woodstock.  Here  Jedidiah, 
grandson  of  Peter,  and  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  memoir,  was  born  in  172G.  He  (the  father; 
was  a  man  of  no  small  consideration  in  his  day, 
having  held  various  public  offices,  and  among 
tliem  that  of  Representative  of  the  town  in  the 
Colonial  and  State  Legislatures  for  more  than 
fifteen  years.  He  w.as  also  an  influential  member, 
and  a  Deacon,  of  the  First  Congregational  Church. 
He  lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of  ninety-four 
3'ears.  He  was  married  in  1747  to  Sarah  Child, 
also  of  Woodstock,  with  whom  he  lived  most 
happily  fifty-eight  years.  They  had  ten  children 
of  whom  Jedidiah^  who  is  commemorated  in  this 
work,  was  the  eighth,  and  was  born  on  the  23d 

of  August,  1761. 

1 


2 


OUTLINE  OF  mS  LIFE. 


In  his  childhood  and  youth  he  discovered  a 
gentle  and  affectionate  disposition,  together  with 
a  conscientious  adherence  to  the  convictions  of 
duty.  He  early  exhibited  an  uncommon  fondness 
for  books,  and  expressed  .1  strong  desire  for  a 
liberal  education ;  and  this  desire  was  the  more 
readily  yielded  to  from  the  fact  that  his  physical 
constitution  was  deemed  inadequate  to  the  labours 
of  the  farm.  He  fitted  for  College  in  the  Academy 
in  his  native  place  ;  and  so  vigorous  and  success- 
ful was  his  application  to  study  that  he  was 
examined  and  admitted  to  the  Freshman  class  of 
Yale  in  the  spring  of  1779,  within  less  than  a 
year  from  the  time  that  he  commenced  his  pre- 
paration. Before  the  College  term  commentted, 
however,  he  was  drafted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Con- 
necticut Line  of  the  Army.  But  his  fatlier,  by 
an  immediate  and  earnest  application  to  Governor 
Trumbull,  succeeded  in  procuring  for  him  an 
exemption  from  military  duty,  so  that  he  was 
enabled  at  once  to  take  his  place  in  College. 

During  his  College  life  he  kept  up  a  constant 
correspondence  with  his  father,  which  is  still 
preserved;  and  from  it  may  be  gathered  not 
only  many  of  the  incidents  of  his  daWy  life, 
but  much  that  is  illustrative  of  the  period 
through  which  he  was  passing.  As  his  father 
was  far  from  being  in  affluent  circumstances, 
the  expenses  of  his  education  were  necessarily 
directed  by  a  strict  economy,  and,  in  order  to 
meet  them  fully,  he  engaged,  for  a  time,  in  teach- 
ing a  school,  and,  shortly  after  his  graduation, 


OUTLINE  OF  raS  LIFE. 


3 


taught  a  class  in  singing,  in  the  neighbouring 
town  of  Guilford.  In  a  class  distinguished  by 
its  honoured  names  he  had  a  highly  respectable 
standing  as  a  scholar;  «ind,  by  his  modest  and 
kindly  demeanour,  he  rendered  himself  a  general 
favourite.  He  gave  more  than  ordinary  attention 
to  the  culture  of  the  social  graces,  availing  him- 
self of  all  legitimate  opportunities  for  mingling 
in  cultivated  female  society.  And  his  presence 
was  always  sure  to  be  recognized  as  an  element 
of  pleasure.  His  fine  musical  powers  were  very 
likely  to  be  called  into  exercise  in  any  circle 
into  which  he  might  be  thrown.  He  read  and 
studied  with  great  relish  Chesterfield's  Letters  on 
Politeness;  and  such  was  his  estimate  of  this 
book  as  a  guide  in  forming  the  manners,  that, 
even  after  his  settlement  in  the  ministry,  an 
edition  of  it  was  published,  by  a  bookseller  in 
Boston,  under  his  supervision.  *'  Chesterfield  on 
Politeness^  improved  by  Dr.  Morse,**  was  the  ludi- 
crous title  under  which  the  book  was  advertised 
in  some  of  the  newspapers. 

Though  young  Morse  had  had  the  benefit  of  a 
strictly  religious  education,  and  had  doubtless 
been  the  subject  of  serious  impressions  in  child-r 
liood  and  early  youth,  it  does  not  appear  that  he 
was  ever  brought  to  regard  religion  as  the  great 
personal  and  practical  concern  till  his  Sophomore 
year  in  College.  In  a  letter  to  his  father,  dated 
15  February,  1781,  he  writes  thus: 

"  I  have  conversed  with  the  President "  (Stiles)  "  on  the 
Bubjcet  of  religion.    He  gave  me  excellent  advice,  and  proposed 


4 


OUTUXE  OP  HIS  LIFE. 


my  joining  the  church.  I  think  it  of  the  first  importance  to 
engage  in  religion  in  early  life,  while  we  have  the  promise  of 
finding,  and  not  to  delay  the  duty  to  old  age  or  a  sick  bed.  I 
intend  to  converse  with  him  again  on  Friday,  though  I  am 
hardl}'  prepared  to  take  the  step  he  proposes,  and  may  defer  it. 
I  wish  I  could  now  talk  to  you  and  my  mother  on  the  subject ; 
but,  this  being  impossible,  I  hope  you  will  improve  every 
opportunity  to  give  me  your  advice." 

On  I  lie  20th  of  the  same  month  he  writes  thus: 

"  I  have  now  to  tell  yon  something  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  me,  and  of  no  little  interest  to  30U,  my  dear  parents.  It  is 
my  purpose  to  make  a  solemn  dedication  of  myself  to  God,  my 
Creator.  Drea»lful,  yet  pleasing  thought! — to  enter  into  cove- 
nant with  the  living  God  I  Holmes  *  and  myself  were  with  the 
President  on  Saturday,  and  again  on  Sunday  noon;  when  we 
gave  our  consent  to  be  propounded  for  admission  into  the 
church  ;  and,  accordingly,  we  were  so,  at  the  close  of  the  public 
service.  The  President  gave  us  good  advice,  road  to  us  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  and  the  Covenant,  a<ked  us  many  questions 
uiKtn  tliem,  and  whether  there  were  any  articles  that  we  could 
not  fully  assent  to,  and,  as  there  were  none,  he  said  that  he 
should  proceed  to  admit  us  into  the  church  a  fortnight  hence. 

"  I  now  call  to  mind  with  pleasure  the  man}'  instructions  3'ou 
have  given  me.  I  reproach  myself  with  having  paid  so  little 
heed  to  them.  How  can  I  better  repay  you  for  all  your  trouble 
and  care  for  me,  from  my  infancy',  than  by  giving  myself  to 
God,  my  3Iaker  ?  I  trust  I  can  do  so  with  the  utmost  willing- 
ness, and  with  a  humble  dependence  on  Jesus  Christ,  the 
^lediator.  3Iay  it  be  done  in  a  manner  acceptable  and  well 
pleasing  to  Him." 

Accordingly,  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  March, 
1781,  being  then  in  his  twentieth  year,  he  made 
a  public  profession  of  his  faitlu  and  was  admitted 
a  member  of  the  College  Church.  Consequent 


•  Afterwards  Kev.  Dr.  Iluluies  of  Cambridge,  hi*  classmate. 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


5 


upon  this  was  a  resolution  to  devote  himself  to 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel. 

In  a  letter  bearing  date  June  24,  1783,  he  writes. 

thus : 

liut  threo  weeks  and  I  am  to  go  forth  into  the  world  to 
])ut  to  practical  use  the  learning  I  have  been  acquiring.  It  ia 
truly  a  pleasing,  but  anxious  thought:  pleasing,  as  I  may  hope, 
with  the  blessing  of  God,  to  preach  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation, 
and  anxious  when  I  think  of  coming  in  contact  with  those  who 
reject  Christ." 

The  following  amusing  incident  he  used  to 
relate,  as  illustrative  of  the  experience  of  not  a 
small  number  who  enter  the  ministry.  On  the 
da}'  that  he  took  his  first  degree  he  met,  in  one 
of  the  College  buildings,  the  venerable  Dr.  Bel- 
lamy, then  far  advanced  in  life,  moving  slowly 
up  the  stair  case;  and  he  promptly  offered  him 
his  arm,  tlius  assisting  him  in  his  somewhat  labori- 
ous walk.  The  Doctor  thankfully  acknowledged 
this  polite  attention,  and  asked  him  his  name,  to 
what  class  he  belonged,  and  to  what  profession 
he  intended  to  devote  himself;  and,  having 
learned  that  it  was  his  purpose  to  become  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  he  gave  him  his  blessing, 
and  added, — **Now  let  me  tell  you  how  it  will 
fare  with  you.  after  you  shall  have  preached  as  a 
candidate,  received  a  call,  and  been  settled  over 
a  parish.  At  first  your  people  will  doat  on  you  — 
they  will  say  to  3'ou, — *  Poor  pusst/y  poor  pussy.* 
Soon  their  fervour  will  cool,  and  the  word  will 
he  simply  *  PusSy  puss.*  And  at  last  it  will  be 
'  Scat  you:  "  . 


6 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


On  the  completion  of  his  College  course,  in 
1783,  he  continued  to  reside  in  New  Haven,  and 
prosecuted  his  theological  studies  under  the  joint 
direction  of  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  then  Pastor 
of  the  White  Haven  Church,  as  it  was  called,  and 
Dr.  Samuel  Wales,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  Yale 
College.  At  the  same  time,  with  a  view  to 
relieve  his  father  from  any  additional  expense 
on  his  account,  he  engaged  in  teaching  a  school 
of  young  girls.  In  this  enterprise  he  was  emi- 
nently successful,  commanding  the  patronage  of 
many  of  the  best  families  in  the  city. 

He  was  remarkable,  from  his  early  years,  for  a 
habit  of  persevering  mental  activity  —  he  always 
found  full  occupation  for  his  whole  time.  Hence, 
in  the  winter  of  1783-81,  besides  pursuing  his 
theological  studies,  and  teaching  the  duy-school 
for  girls  already  referred  to,  he  met  a  class  of 
young  ladies  two  evenings  in  the  week,  and  a 
class  for  singeing  on  two  other  evenings.  And 
this  vast  amount  of  labour  was  accomplished  with 
a  naturally  delicate  constitution,  and  with  fre- 
quent interruptions  occasioned  by  ill  health. 

The  course  of  theological  study  at  that  period 
was  far  more  limited  than  it  is  now ;  and  hence 
we  find  that  when  Mr.  Morse  had  pursued  his 
studies  for  only  a  few  months,  repeated  intima- 
tions came  to  him  that  if  he  would  consent  to 
receive  license  to  preach,  he  might  be  advantage- 
ously employed  in  an  important  field;  but  his 
good  sense  prevented  him  from  yielding  to  an}'' 
Buch  proposals.    He  had  a  deep  sense  of  the 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


7 


importance  of  the  office  to  which  he  was  aspiring, 
and  was  unwilling  to  jeopard  his  usefulness  by 
entering  on  its  duties,  without  what  was  deemed, 
at  least  at  that  day,  mature  preparation. 

It  was  while  he  was  teaching  a  school  at  this 
period  that  the  thought  first  occurred  to  him  that 
was  destined  to  have  its  issue  in  his  becoming  the 
Father  of  American  Geography.  But  I  shall  leave 
the  details  of  this  grand  enterprise  to  form  the 
subject  of  a  distinct  chapter. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1785,  he  was 
examined  and  licensed  to  preach,  by  the  New 
Haven  County  Association,  met  at  East  Haven — 
in  anticipation  of  which,  his  mind  seems  to  have 
boon  deeply  exercised  in  regard  to  the  responsi- 
bilities he  was  about  to  assume.  Two  days  before 
bis  licensure,  he  was  invited  to  preach  as  a  candi- 
date in  the  vacant  pulpit  in  Farmington,  Conn. ; 
and,  about  the  same  time,  received  similar  appli- 
cations from  some  other  places;  but  the  invitation 
which  he  accepted  was  from  Norwich,  Conn.; 
where  he  not  only  supplied  the  pulpit,  but 
engaged  in  teaching  a  school.  In  February  of  the 
next  year,  (1786.)  an  urgent  request  for  his  servi- 
ces was  made  by  the  people  of  Deerfield,  Mass. ; 
but  the  congregjition  at  Norwich,  as  soon  as  they 
became  apprized  of  the  movement,  took  measures 
to  retain  him  which  proved  successful. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year  he  was  chosen  a  Tutor 
in  Yale  College  He  accepted  the  appointment, 
though  it  cost  him  no  small  sacrifice  of  feeling  to 
leave  Norwich,  where  his  labours  had  been  highly 


8 


OUTLINE  OP  HIS  LIFE. 


acceptable,  and  he  had  drawn  around  him  a  large 
circle  of  warmly  attached  friends.  He  was  in- 
ducted into  the  Tutorship  on  the  26th  of  June, 
and  immediatel^"^  entered  on  his  new  duties  with 
great  zeal  and  alacrity. 

But  scarcely  two  months  had  passed  when  his 
health  began  to  be  perceptibly  impaired  by  reason 
of  his  excessive  labours.  Just  at  that  time  his 
classmate,  Abiel  Holmes,  who  was  settled  as 
Pastor  of  a  Congregational  Church  in  Midway, 
Georgia,  had  returned  to  New  England  to  escape, 
for  a  time,  the  enervating  influence  of  a  Southern 
climate;  and  the  two  friends  agreed,  with  the 
consent  of  the  College  Faculty,  that  they  would 
temporarily  exchange  places  and  occupations, 
with  a  view  to  their  mutual  benefit-  Accordingly, 
Mr.  Holmes  assumed  the  duties  of  Tutor,  and  Mr. 
Morse  commenced  at  once  his  preparations  for 
going  to  Georgia.  The  most  important  of  these 
was  his  receiving  Ordination,  so  that  he  might  be 
qualified  to  discharge  all  the  duties  of  the  pastoral 
office.  It  was  arranged  that  he  should  be  ordained 
at  the  same  time  with  Mr.  Samuel  Austin,  who 
had  been  his  classmate  in  College.  In  the  pros- 
pect of  this  service,  he  set  apart  a  day  for  private 
prayer  and  fiisting,  in  respect  to  which  he  has 
left  the  following  record : 

"  7  November,  178G — This  day  I  devoted,  as  far  as  the  neces- 
sary preparations  for  uiy^  journey  would  permit,  to  humiliation,  ' 
fasting  and  praj-er.    I  renewed  my  self-dedication  to  God, 
resolving,  in  ibe  strength  of  Divine  Grace,  to  give  up  myself  • 
wholly  to  my  Saviour,  making  his  glory  the  ultimate  end  of  my 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


9 


actions,  and  subordinating-  my  temporal  pursuits  to  those  which 
are  spiritual." 

Of  the  ordination  and  the  exercises  preparatory 
to  it,  he  has  left  the  following  account: 

"9  November,  Thursday — This  has  been  to  me  the  most 
solemn  day  of  my  life.  Last  evening  T  requested  ordination  of 
the  Council  convened  to  ordain  Mr.  Austin.  My  request  was 
granted,  and  I  then  sustained  the  usual  examination,  which  was 
long  and  critical,  lasting  till  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  The  hour 
for  the  ordination  service  was  fixed  for  ten  o'clock,  Thursday 
morning ;  but  necessary  preliminaries  detained  the  Council  till 
eleven  o'clock,  when  we  proceeded  to  Fair  Haven  fleeting 
House.  The  doings  of  the  council  were  read  ;  the  Introductory 
Prayer  was  made  by  Rev.  David  Ripley,  of  Ripton  ;  an  excel- 
lent Sermon  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards, 
from  Acts  XX,  2G — '  I  am  pure  from  the  blood  of  all  men  ;'  the 
Ordaining  Prayer  for  Mr.  Austin  was  made  by  Rev.  Nicholas 
iStreet ;  the  Charge  to  him  was  given  by  Rev.  Dr.  Stiles,  and  the 
Right  Hand  of  Fellowship  by  Rev.  Dr.  AVales.  Rev.  Noah 
Williston  made  my  Ordaining  Prayer ;  Rev.  Chauncy  Wliittlesey 
gave  me  a  solemn  and  weighty  Charge  ;  Brother  Holmes  the 
Right  Hand  of  Fellowship;  Rev.  Mr.  Lockwood  made  the 
Concluding  Prayer.  The  whole  services  were  performed  with 
great  propriety  and  solemnity." 

Communicating  this  event  to  his  father  the 
same  day,  he  says: 

'*  The  weight  and  importance  of  the  trust  committed  to  me, 
the  solemnity  of  the  transaction,  together  with  the  idea  of  j^art- 
ing  with  my  dear  friends,  and  going  into  a  distant  land  among 
strangers,  affected  me  even  to  tears.  I  humbly  hope  that, 
through  the  whole  service,  I  have  experienced,  in  some  good 
degree,  the  Divine  presence  and  support.  I  have  committed 
myself  to  God,  and  go  forth  in  his  strength  and  under  the  wing 
of  his  protection." 


10 


OUTLINE  OP  HIS  LIFE. 


He  set  out  on  his  journey  to  the  South  the  day 
after  his  Ordination,  and  reached  Midway,  Ga  ,  the 
place  of  his  destination,  after  a  most  interesting 
journey,  on  the  19th  of  January,  1787.  Here 
he  remained,  preaching  to  great  acceptance,  for 
about  six  months,  when,  much  to  the  regret  of  the 
cono-resration  to  which  he  had  ministered,  he  took 
his  leave  of  them,  Avith  a  view  to  return  to  New 
England.  After  stopping  for  a  few  weeks  in 
Charleston,  S.  C,  he  prosecuted  his  homeward 
journey,  and  arrived  at  New  Haven  on  the  28th 
of  August,  1787. 

In  the  course  of  the  winter  of  1787-88,  he 
received  an  invitation,  through  Dr.  Rodgers,  of 
New  York,  from  the  Collegiate  Presbyterian 
Churches,  of  which  he  was  a  Pastor,  to  preach  to 
them  as  a  candidate  for  two  months.  With  this 
request  he  complied,  commencing  his  labours  there 
sometime  in  March.  Before  the  time  for  which 
he  was  engaged  had  expired,  the  Session  invited 
him  to  continue  three  months  longer — to  this 
proposal  also  he  consented,  and,  accordingly, 
remained  with  them  till  the  second  Sunday  in 
August.  Meanwhile  he  received  a  pressing  invi- 
tation to  return  to  Georgia,  which  some  of  his 
friends,  among  whom  was  the  venerable  President 
Stiles,  advised  him  to  accept;  but  Dr.  Rodgers, 
with  whom  he  was  in  daily  intercourse,  advised 
him  to  decline  it;  partly  on  the  ground  that  his 
constitution  was  not  suited  to  a  Southern  climate, 
and  partly  in  view  of  the  probability  that  a  more 
eligible  situation  would  open  to  him  at  the  North. 


OUTLINE  OF  IIIS  LIFE. 


11 


The  First  Congregational  Church  in  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  having  become  vacant  by  the  death 
of  the  llev.  Joshua  Paine,  in  February,  1788,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Belknap,  of  Boston,  wrote  to  the  Hon. 
Ebenezer  Hazard,  Postmaster  General  of  the 
United  States,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  congregations  in  New  York,  inquir- 
ing what  impression  Mr.  Morse  had  made  there  as 
a  preacher,  that  he  might  thus  judge  of  his  quali- 
fications to  become  Mr.  Paine's  successor.  Such 
was  the  tone  of  Mr.  Hazard's  reply  that,  in  May 
following.  Dr.  Belknap  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Morse,  by  request  of  the  Committee  of  the  Cliurch 
in  Cliarlestown,  inquiring  concerning  his  engage- 
ments in  New  York,  and  tlie  probability  of  his 
being  able  to  preach  to  them  as  a  candidate. 
Though  he  could  not  tlien  speak  with  any  certainty 
of  his  future  arrangements,  the  purport  of  his 
answer  was  such  as  to  produce  a  request  from  tlie 
Church,  through  Dr.  Belknap,  that  he  would  visit 
Charlestown,  and  occupy  their  pulpit,  for  a  while, 
with  reference  to  a  settlement. 

His  term  of  service  in  New  York  having  expired 
in  August,  he  left  the  city  and  went  to  New 
Haven,  where  he  attended  the  Commencement  in 
September.  While  there  he  received  a  request 
from  the  Church  in  New  York  to  return  and  preach 
for  them  three  months  longer;  but,  in  view  of 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case,  he  felt 
constrained  to  decline.  Though  he  was  highly 
acceptable  to  a  large  majority  of  the  people,  yet 
a  portion  of  them  were  so  much  attached  to  the 


12 


OUTLINE  OF  mS  UFE. 


Rev.  James  Muir,  a  Scotch  minister,  (then  lately 
from  Bermuda, — afterwards  the  venerable  Dr. 
Muir,  of  Alexandria,)  that  he  did  not  believe  that 
he  could  remain  without  putting  in  jeopardy  the 
peace  of  the  congregations.  The  result  was  that 
both  candidates  withdrew,  and  the  two  parties 
were  forthwith  brought  into  harmony,  while  the 
friendly  relations  of  the  two  ministers  were  never 
interrupted  for  an  hour.  Dr.  Muir  was  one  of  the 
most  truehearted  and  generous  of  men,  and  withal 
an  instructive  and  able  preacher ;  but  he  was  so 
intensely  Scotch  that  there  were  coraparativelj' 
few  American  consnreKations  which  were  able  to 
suitably  appreciate  him. 

Meanwhile  the  Conj^resration  in  Charlestown 
were  waiting  impatiently  to  welcome  him ;  and 
he  yielded  to  their  wishes  b}'  passing  the  first  two 
Sabbaths  in  November  among  them.  During  his 
brief  visit  there,  he  preached  to  them  almost 
every  day,  and  sometimes  twice  a  day,  besides 
preaching  three  times  in  Boston;  and  so  accepta- 
ble w^ere  his  services  that,  immediately  after  his 
return  to  New  York,  they  sent  him  the  following 
unanimous  call  to  become  their  Pastor : 

Charlestown,  Mass.,  20  Not.  1788. 
"Reverend  Sir:  Since  your  departure,  the  Church  and  Con- 
gregation in  this  place  have  held  a  meeting  and  given  you  a 
call  to  settle  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry  among  them; 
and  the  votes  which  we  have  the  pleasure,  by  their  order,  to 
enclose,  will  show  that  the  esteem  and  aflFection  which  they 
appeared  to  entertain  for  you  while  you  were  here,  are  not,  in 
any  degree,  abated.  The  circumstances  of  the  Parish  did  not 
admit  of  their  exceeding  the  terms  annexed  to  their  call,  and 


OUTLINE  OF  IIIS  LIFE. 


13 


we  most  earnestly  wish  that  these  may  appear  eligible  and  pro- 
per in  your  view.  As  the  usefulness  of  a  Gospel  minister  in 
the  promotion  of  true  religion  and  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom 
depends  very  much,  under  God,  upon  the  degree  of  unanimity 
in  his  call,  we  are  led  to  hope  that  this  consideration  will  have 
such  weight  in  your  mind  as  to  induce  you  to  return  us  a  speedy 
and  affirmative  answer.  In  the  pleasing  expectation  of  which, 
and  of  soon  seeing  you  here,  we  remain.  Sir,  your  friends  and 
huniblo  servants 

RICHARD  CARY, 
NATHANIEL  GORIIAM, 
JOHN  LARKIN, 
THOMAS  MILLER, 

Parish  Committee. 

"  ProceedinfTS  of  the  First  Parish  of  the  Town  of  Charles- 
town. 

"  Voted,  unanimously,  James  Russell,  Esq.,  Moderator,  to 
concur  with  the  Church  in  the  choice  of  the  Rev.  Jedidiah 
Morse  to  be  Pastor  of  this  Church  and  Congregation, 

*'  Voted  that  he  receive  eleven  dollars  a  week  salary. 

*'  Voted  that  he  have  6rewood  sufficient  for  his  study  until 
married,  and,  when  married,  that  he  be  furnished  with  a  dwell- 
ing-house, and  barn,  and  twenty  cords  of  wood  annually. 

*'  Voted  that  the  Parish  Committee  be  requested  to  trans- 
mit to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jlorse  the  Proceedings  of  this  meeting. 
Charlestown,  21:  November,  1788." 

The  following  is  Mr.  Morse's  answer : 

"  New  York,  6  December,  1788. 
"  Much  Respected  Gentlemen  :  Your  letter  of  the  26th  ult., 
with  the  Proceedings  of  your  Church  and  Congregation,  was 
received  by  the  last  post,  and  is  now  before  me.  Its  contents 
have  been  weighed,  and  the  advice  of  my  friends  has  been 
taken,  so  far  as  the  time  and  the  circumstances  would  allow. 
The  unanimity,  the  affection  and  the  generosity  manifested  in 
the  call,  induce  me  and  my  friends  to  believe  that  it  is  the  call 
of  God,  and  that  Providence  is,  by  this  means,  pointing  to 
2 


14 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  UFE. 


0 


Charlestown  as  the  scene  of  my  future  ministerial  labours.  The 
pastoral  charge  of  so  many  precious  souls  as  are  in  your  con- 
gregation is  a  burden  which  could  not  be  borne  without  the 
supporting  promises  of  the  Gospel.  '  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,'  are  his  words,  who  commis- 
sions his  faithful  ambassadors,  and  who  is  their  Almighty 
Friend.  '  Through  Christ  who  strengtheneth  us  we  can  do  all 
things.'  Encouraged  by  your  proposals,  and  by  the  confidence 
which  I  repose  in  j'our  friendship  and  affection,  and  supported 
by  the  promises  of  the  ISaviour,  I  send  you  my  answer  in  the 
affirmative,  and  hereby  manifest  my  willing  and  cordial  accept- 
ance of  your  call. 

"  While  I  inform  you  of  my  acceptance  of  your  call,  I  must 
add  that,  through  a  very  unexpected  delay  and  protraction  of 
the  busicess  in  which  I  am  at  present  engaged,*  it  will  not  be 
in  my  power  to  come  to  Charlestown  till  the  close  of  winter  or 
opening  of  spring.  In  the  course  of  six  or  eight  weeks,  I 
shall  probably  be  able  to  fix  the  time  when  I  can,  by  leave  of 
Providence,  be  with  you.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  difficult  for 
you  to  obtain  supplica  for  the  winter,  as  I  am  informed  that  my 
worthy  friend,  Mr.  William  Woodbridge,  is  likely  to  be  in  your 
neighborhood. 

"  With  cordial  wishes  for  your  welfare,  I  am,  Gentlemen, 
with  great  esteem  and  respect, 

Your  friend  and  servant  in  the  Gospel, 

JEDIDIAH  MORSE. 

Messrs.  Caby,  &c. 

But,  tliough  Mr.  Morse  found  it  necessary  to 
postpone  for  a  few  months  his  engagement  with 
the  Charlestown  people,  he  was  meanwhile  enter- 
ing into  another  engagement,  with  a  young  lady, 
w^hich  was  destined  to  have  much  to  do  in  giving 
complexion  to  his  future  life.  The  lady  referred 
to  was  Miss  Elizaheth  Ann  Breese,  daughter  of 


*  The  issuing  of  the  second  edition  of  his  Ckography. 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


15 


Samuel  Breese,  of  Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  and  Rebecca 
Finley,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Finley, 
President  of  NeW  Jersey  College.  She  was  the 
only  cliild  of  her  motlier,  who  died  shortly  after 
her  birth.  Their  acquaintance  began  in  New 
York,  at  the  house  of  her  uncle,  Ebenezer  Hazard, 
and  was  continued  at  her  own  home,  which  was 
at  no  great  distance  from  Elizabethtown,  where 
Mr.  Morse  was  obliged  to  pass  the  winter.  The 
rumour  of  the  engagement  soon  reached  Cliarles- 
town,  and  its  eflect  there  is  thus  humorously 
described  by  Dr.  Belknap : 

"  In  a  day  or  two  it  was  all  over  town  ;  and  some  of  the 
elders  are  really  inquiring  how,  when  and  where,  the  promised, 
house  shall  be  got.  I  suppose  it  would  be  something  to  Mr. 
Morse's  advantage,  in  point  of  hand.^  and  handkerchvfa,  if  this 
report  could  be  contradicted.  Do  tell  him,  if  he  is  not  too  far 
gone,  that  it  will  be  much  in  favour  of  his  popularity,  and  some- 
thing in  his  pocket,  if  he  can  come  to  Charlcstown  with  hia 
neck  clear  of  the  fatal  noose.  But  if  he  cannot,  I  shall  tremble 
for  him  unless  he  should  bring  a  yoke-fellow,  whom  they  must 
worship  as  much  as  they  do  him." 

Mr.  Morse,  having  at  length  completed  the 
business  which  had  detained  him  so  long  in  New 
Jersey,  returned  to  Charlestown,  arriving  there 
on  the  4th  of  April.  He  was  met  by  the  people 
with  great  cordiality,  and  every  thing  seemed  to 
betoken  much  happiness  in  connection  with  the 
union  that  was  soon  to  be  constituted.  On  the 
9th  of  April  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Parish 
Committee,  relinquishing  for  two  years  one  dollar 
per  week  of  the  salary  which  had  been  voted  him 


16 


OUTLINE  OP  raS  UFE. 


in  bis  call.  This  was  in  consideration  of  the 
great  losses  to  which  the  people  had  been  sub- 
jected by  the  burning  of  Charlestown  at  the 
memorable  battle  of  Bunker  Ilill,  and  from  which 
they  had  then  only  partially  recovered.  The 
previous  arrangements  having  all  been  made,  the 
Installation  took  place  on  the  30th  of  April ; — 
the  same  day  and  the  same  hour  that  Washington 
was  inaugurated  as  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  Installing  Council  consisted  of  tlie  following 
clerg3'men,  with  their  delegates:  Rev.  Joseph 
Jackson,  of  Brookline ;  Rev.  Joshua  Paine,  of 
Sturbridge ;  Rev.  Timothy  Ililliard,  of  Cam- 
bridge ;  Rev.  David  Osgood,  of  Medford ;  Rev. 
Jeremy  Belknap,  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  Rev.  John 
Eliot  and  Rev.  Joseph  Eckley,  of  Boston;  and 
Rev.  Eliphalet  L^'man,  of  Woodstock,  Conn.  The 
lay  delegate  from  Woodstock  was  the  father  of 
the  Pastor  elect.  The  Sermon  on  tlie  occasion 
was  preached  by  Dr.  Belknap,  from  I.  Peter  V, 
3 — *'  Neither  as  lording  it  over  God's  heritage ; 
but  as  ensamples  to  the  flock."  The  Charge  was 
by  Mr.  Jackson,  and  the  Right  Hand  of  Fellow- 
ship by  Dr.  Osgood.  The  Sermon  being  after- 
wards printed,  and  a  copy  sent  by  its  author  to 
his  friend,  John  Adams,  then  Vice  President  of 
the  United  States,  it  was  acknowledged  by  him 
thus : 

"  This  elegant  discourse  I  have  read  with  the  more  pleasure 
because  that,  beside  the  good  sense,  the  moral  sentiments  and 
Christian  benevolence  which  it  breathes,  I  had  the  last  week  an 
opportunity  of  commencing  an  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Morse 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


17 


himself,  who  appears  to  be  an  interesting  character,  and  a  man 
of  litcrarj  merit."  (See  Belknap  Papers,  Hist.  Soc.  Rooms, 
Boston.) 

On  Monday,  the  4th  ot  May,  he  left  Charles- 
town  for  New  York,  whence  he  proceeded,  on  the 
13th,  to  Shrewsbury,  and  the  next  day  was  married 
to  the  young  lady  to  whom  he  had  previously 
pledged  his  hand.  The  ceremony  was  to  have 
been  performed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  WoodhuU,  of 
Freehold,  N.  J. ;  but  a  violent  North  East  storm 
prevented  his  being  present,  and,  as  such  matters 
are  not  to  be  postponed  for  weather,  the  services 
of  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  were  put  in  requit^ition, 
and  Thomas  Little,  Esq.,  had  the  honour  to  con- 
stitute the  relation  which  was  destined,  in  some 
respects,  to  be  one  of  tlie  most  remarkable  of  the 
age. 

In  1794  Mr.  Morse  was  honoured  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  tlie  University 
of  Edinburgh.  lie  was  young  to  receive  such  an 
honour  as  this,  especially  from  a  foreign  Univer- 
sity ;  but  by  this  time  the  success  of  bis  Geographi- 
cal enterprise  had  become  well  known  in  Europe, 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  this,  in  connection  with 
his  high  ceneral  attainments,  should  have  called 
forth  this  honourable  tribute. 

When  a  new  Professor  of  Divinity  in  Harvard 
College  was  about  to  be  chosen,  as  successor  to 
Dr.  Tappan,  in  1804,  Dr.  Morse  felt  himself  called 
upon,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Overseers,  to 
oppose  the  election  of  the  most  prominent  candi- 
date, on  the  ground  that  some  of  his  views  of 


18 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  UFE. 


Christian  doctrine  were  essentially  different  from 
those  which  the  Founder  of  the  Professorship  him- 
self held,  and  which  he  must  have  intended  should 
be  there  maintained.  About  this  time  he  published 
a  pamphlet,  entitled,: — '*The  True  Reasons  on 
which  the  Election  of  a  Ilollis  Professor  of 
Divinity  in  IIui  yard  College  was  opposed  at  the 
Board  of  Overseers.'*  Shortly  after  this,  in  June, 
1S05,  he  originated  the  Panoplist,  a  monthly 
periodical,  whii  h  was  designed  primarily  to  sus- 
tain the  interests  of  the  commonly  received  Ortho- 
doxy of  New  England.  At  a  later  period  still  he 
put  forth  all  his  energies  in  aid  of  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Andover  Theological  Seminar}^  and 
his  interest  in  its  prosperity  never  faltered  to  the 
last. 

Dr.  Morse  continued  his  ministry  in  Charles- 
town  until  the  spring  of  1820,  when  he  w^as 
induced  by  circumstances,  affecting  more  or  less 
his  personal  comfort,  to  resign  his  pastoral  charge. 
Shortly  after  this  he  removed  his  family  to  New 
Haven,  and  there  continued  till  the  close  of  his  life. 

Having  now  withdrawn  from  the  cares  and 
responsibilities  of  the  life  of  a  Pastor,  Dr.  Morse 
enscajjed  in  a  work  which  had  lonjr  been  near  to 
his  heart, — namely,  the  Civilization  and  Christian- 
ization  of  the  various  Indian  tribes  on  our  borders; 
and,  under  a  commission  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
he  spent  two  successive  summers  in  visiting  those 
tribes,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  their  condition, 
and  devise  the  most  suitable  means  for  their 
improvement.    He  was  associated  also,  during  his 


OUTLINE  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


19 


ministry,  with  various  other  benevolent  opera- 
tions, which  will  be  severally  noticed  in  a  subse- 
quent part  of  this  volume. 

After  his  removal  to  New  Haven,  Dr.  Morse 
was  engaged  chiefly  in  literary  pursuits,  and 
occasionally  preached  for  the  accommodation  of 
his  brethren,  or  to  supply  a  vacant  pulpit.  His 
health,  though  by  no  means  firm,  continued  com- 
fortable till  a  few  weeks  before  his  death ;  and 
then  he  underwent  a  gradual  process  of  decay, 
without  being  the  subject  of  an3''  marked  disease. 
His  last  hours  were  full  of  joyful  triumph,  and  his 
last  words  were  (in  answer  to  a  question  designed 
to  ascertain  particularly  the  state  of  his  mind) 
**  A  hope  full  of  immortality — that  expresses  it." 
He  died  at  New  Haven  on  the  9th  of  June,  1826. 
A  Sermon  was  preached  on  the  occasion  of  his 
death,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bacon. 

Dr.  Morse  had  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  The  three  who  reached  matu- 
rity— ^all  sons — still  survive.  Mrs.  Morse  died  on 
the  28th  of  May,  1828. 


II 


DETAILS  OF  HIS  mSTORY  AND  DEVELOP- 
MKNTS  OF  mS  CHARACTER. 

I. 

His  K\bours  as  a  Parish  jMinister. 

Commenciiig  Avith  his  settlement  in  Charles- 
town,  (the  preceding  part  of  his  ministry  having 
been  sufficiently  dwelt  upon  in  the  previous 
chapter,)  our  attention  is  arrested  first  by  the 
earnest  and  deeply  evangelical  sermon  Avhich 
he  preached  on  the  Sabbath  morning  after  his 
Installation,  from  the  text, — "  For  I  determined 
to  know  nothing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ 
and  Him  crucified"—!  Cor.  II,  2.  This  dis- 
course was  evidently'  intended  to  shadow  forth 
the  general  type  of  his  preaching;  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  whole  course  of  his  public 
ministrations  was  a  faithful  fulfilment  of  the 
purpose  here  expressed  in  respect  to  himself. 
The  sermon  contains  the  following  allusion  to 
his  early  predecessors,  previous  to  the  period  of 
the  burning  of  Cbarlestown: 

"  It  is  now  almost  an  hundred  and  fifty-nine  years  since  the 
First  Church  was  gathered  in  this  place,  and  entrusted  to  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  pious  Mr.  John  Wilson.    He  removed  to 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER- 


21 


Boston,  and  became  the  minister  of  the  First  Church  established 
there.  Since  that  time  the  Church  in  Charlcstown  has  been 
under  the  nursing  care  of  twelve  ministers, — your  present 
l*astor  being  the  thirteenth  in  the  succession.  No  less  than 
six  of  them  came  over  from  England,  to  escape  the  rage  of  the 
Laudian  persecution.  Several  of  them  left  the  pastoral  care 
of  churches  in  England,  and  were  men  of  ability,  experience  and 
eminent  piety ;  nor  are  records  wanting  to  show  that  the  whole 
succession  have  honoured  their  holy  calling,  been  faithful 
labourers  in  the  vineyard  of  Christ,  and  good  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God." 

Every  circumstance  attending  Axr.  Morse's  set- 
tlement seemed  to  give  promise  of  a  happy  min- 
istry. The  people  composing  the  parish  of  which 
he  took  charge,  though  generally  of  the  middle 
and  plainer  class,  were  capable  of  appreciating 
the  excellent  qualities  of  their  new  Pastor,  while 
there  were  among  them  several  distinguished  for 
high  intellectual  culture,  the  finest  moral  and 
religious  qualities,  and  a  widely  extended  and 
most  benign  influence.  He  had  just  formed  a 
matrimonial  connection  which  was  full  of  promise 
not  only  to  himself  but  to  his  congregation ;  for 
the  lady  who  had  become  his  wife  possessed  those 
attractive,  generous,  noble  qualities,  which  could 
not  but  render  her  a  favourite*  wherever  she  was 
known.  He  had  his  home  at  first  with  his 
excellent  friend,  Richard  Gary,  a  man  of  great 
worth,  and  of  high  consideration  in  the  commu- 
nity ;  and,  in  due  time,  a  parsonage  was  provided 
for  him,  contiguous  to  the  meeting-house,  which 
commanded  a  fine  view  of  Boston,  Charles  River, 
the  harbour  and  islands,  and  much  of  the  8ur* 


22  HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


rounding  country.  He  was  also  within  three 
miles  of  Harvard  College,  the  oldest  literary 
institution  in  the  land,  and  very  early  came  into 
intimate  relations  with  its  President  and  several 
of  its  Professors.  The  whole  atmosphere  around 
him  was  eminently  intellectual — the  most  culti- 
vated society  in  Boston  was  always  accessible  to 
him;  and  the  ministers  of  the  Boston  Associa- 
tion to  which  he  belonged,  received  him  with 
great  cordiality,  and  he,  in  turn,  gratefully  recip- 
rocated their  expressions  of  good  will.  Dr. 
Belknap,  the  well  known  historian,  then  a  minis- 
ter of  one  of  the  churches  of  Boston,  had  been 
already,  for  some  thne,  his  intimate  friend;  and 
that  great  man  was  always  on  the  alert  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  his  young  brother  in  the 
ministry,  by  every  means  in  his  power. 

It  Avas  an  occasion  of  great  grief  to  Mr.  Morse 
that  Mr.  Bichard  Gary,  the  friend  who  had  so 
cordially  welcomed  him  on  his  arrival,  and  by 
whose  vigorous  co-operation  he  had  expected  to 
find  himself  so  much  strengthened  in  his  work, 
was,  within  a  few  months  after  the  pastoral  rela- 
tion was  constituted,  called  to  his  reward.  When 
his  death  occurred,  (Februarj^  1790),  the  Pastor 
was  absent  on  a  journey ;  but,  on  his  return,  he 
preached  a  Funeral  Sermon,  in  which  he  pays  a 
warm  and  grateful  tribute  to  the  memory  of  his 
friend.  The  Discourse  was  published,  and  it  was 
the  first  that  its  author  ever  published. 

Almost  immediately  after  his  Installation  he 
began  to  devise  systematic  means  for  promoting 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  JIIXISTER. 


23 


the  spiritual  well-being  of  his  people, — one  of  the 
first,  or  the  very  first,  of  which  was  the  establish- 
ment of  a  monthly  lecture  in  connection  with  the 
catechetical  instruction  of  the  young.  Both 
Watts*  and  the  Assembly's  Catechisms  were 
used  as  text-books,  in  accommodation  to  the  ages 
and  capacities  of  those  who  were  to  be  instructed. 
Early  in  the  next  year,  (1790),  there  were 
monthly  meetings  established  in  didcrent  parts 
of  the  toAvn  to  pray  for  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  These  prayers  seem  to  have  been 
graciousl}^  answered;  for  an  increased  attention 
to  religion  quickly  succeeded,  and,  though  not 
amounting  to  what,  in  modern  phrase,  would  be 
called  a  revival  it  nevertheless  acted  as  a  deci- 
dedly healthful  and  quickening  influence.  During 
the  first  year  of  his  ministry  eleven  were  added 
to  the  church ;  in  the  second  year,  ten  ;  and  in 
the  third,  fifteen.  That  he  was  deeply  interested 
in  the  general  cause  of  revivals  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that,  during  a  season  of  unusual 
religious  attention  in  Plymouth,  in  1794.  he  went 
thither  to  witness  and  sh.ire  the  interest  of  the 
occasion.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Robbins,  Pastor  of  the 
Church,  thus  acknowledges  his  obligation  for  his 
services,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  him  shortly 
after  his  return: 

"  My  family  and  people  speak  of  your  visit  with  great  satis- 
faction ;  and  I  have  abundant  reason  to  believe  your  labours 
were  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord  ;  for  I  have  heard  many  speak  of 
the  sermons  as  blessed  to  their  edification  and  consolation  in 
Christ  Jesus.  I  mention  this  to  excite  gratitude  in  your  heart, 
as  well  as  to  encourage  you  in  your  Master's  work." 


24 


HIS  LABODBS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


His  intercourse  with  the  neighbouring  clergy 
was  in  the  *  Boston  Association/  at  the  ^Thursday 
Lecture/  and  by  pulpit  exchanges. 

The  Boston  Association  of  Congregational 
Ministers,  with  which  he  became  connected,  con- 
sisted of  the  several  pastors  resident  in  Boston, 
and  a  few  in  the  neighbouring  towns.  Tliis  Asso- 
ciation was  accustomed  to  meet,  once  a  fortnight, 
in  the  afternoon  and  evening,  at  the  houses  of  the 
several  members,  in  rotation.  Their  exercises 
were  of  rather  a  desultory  character,  and  gene- 
rally looked  more  towards  social  enjoyment  than 
any  high  intellectual  exhibitions  or  theological 
discussions. 

The  Boston  Thursday  Lecture  dates  back  to 
the  early  settlement  of  the  town.  It  originated 
with  the  Rev.  John  Cotton,  who,  having  beld  a 
similar  service  in  his  own  parish  in  Boston, 
England,  re-established  it,  on  his  becoming  the 
Pastor  of  a  church  here.  The  hour  of  meeting 
was  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  interest 
which  the  Lecture  awakened,  during  its  early 
history,  has  been  thus  graphically  represented  :* 

"  On  every  fifth  morning  of  the  week,  there  is  a  flowing 
together  of  the  people  for  many  a  mile  around.  Villages  send 
their  Yeomen  and  Pastors.  The  walk  of  Harvard  that  have 
risen  at  Newtown  contribute  of  its  few  students  and  Fellows  to 
swell  the  train.  All  other  instruction  must  cease  while  the  lips 
of  the  benignant  old  Patriarch  Wilson,  of  the  eloquent  and 
commanding  Cotton,  of  the  zealous  Norton,  of  Oxenbridge,  the 
well  beloved,  who  broke  off  his  own  preaching  of  this  very 


*  Shade  of  the  Past. 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


25 


Lecture  to  be  carried  to  his  death-bed,  are  dispensing  Divine^ 
knowledge.  The  schools  dismiss  their  pupils  for  the  forenoon. 
What  array  is  there  of  dignity  and  sanctity  and  comeliness ! 
What  squares  of  scarlet  cloaks !  What  borders  of  white  but 
artificial  hair!  What  living  complexions  of  a  less  shining 
whiteness  and  less  presumptously  red  upon  many  fair  but 
solemn  faces,  which  the  arguments  of  Cotton  have  divested  o^ 
their  veils."  | 

For  some  time  after  this  Lecture  was  estab- 
lished, the  service  was  conducted,  from  Aveek  to 
week,  exclusively  by  the  Pastor  of  the  church. 
But,  in  due  time,  an  order  from  the  Magistrates 
brought  in  the  neighbouring  ministers  also  to  serve 
in  turn.  Mr.  Morse,  during  the  first  four  years 
of  his  ministry,  officiated  at  this  Lecture,  either 
in  his  turn  or  in  the  place  of  some  brother  minis- 
ter, fourteen  times. 

Pulpit  exchanges  were  then  reduced  to  a 
system,  which  rarely,  if  ever,  left  the  minister  to 
occupy  his  own  pulpit  more  than  half  of  each 
Sabbath.  Hence  we  find  Mr.  Morse  writing  to 
his  father,  a  few  months  after  his  settlement: — 

"  I  have  exchanged  with  one  or  other  of  the  Boston  ministers 
almost  every  Sabbath  since  my  coming  here." 

While  his  intercourse  with  the  ministers  in 
the  neighbourhood  was  at  this  time  universally 
agreeable,  he  regarded  it  as  a  highly  felicitous 
circumstance  that  to  the  number  of  his  clerical 
associates  was  about  to  be  added  one,  with  whom 
he  had  been  in  the  most  intimate  relations  from 
early  life — this  was  the  Rev.  Abiel  Holmes,  who 
had  accepted  a  call  from  the  Church  in  Cam- 
8 


26  HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PABI8H  UDCISTER. 

bridge.  Mr.  Holmes  and  himself  had  been  born 
in  the  same  town ;  had  been  classmates  and 
room-mates,  and  fellow  Tutors  at  College;  had 
preached  for  some  time  in  the  same  pulpit  in 
Georgia;  and  now  were  about  to  occupy  contigu- 
ous parishes,  thus  having  their  residences  fixed 
within  an  hour's  walk  of  each  other.  Mr.  Morse 
attended  the  Installation  of  his  friend,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Council,  on  the  25th  of  January,  1792, 
and,  as  long  as  they  both  lived,  their  fraternal 
relations  were  never  interrupted.  Two  days 
before  Mr.  Holmes'  Installation,  Lt.  Governor 
Samuel  Phillips  wrote  thus  to  Mr.  Morse  con- 
cerning him: 

"  From  the  character  I  have  had  of  the  Reverend  gentleman 
who  is  about  to  take  the  particular  charge  of  the  First  Church 
and  Congregation  at  Cambridge,  I  feel,  as  a  member  of  the 
great  Christian  family,  much  indebted  to  you.  Sir,  for  the 
influence  I  am  led  to  believe  you  had  in  bringing  about  the 
event.  I  hope  for  important  good  consequences  therefrom  to 
the  university,  and  through  that  to  many  of  our  churches,  as  well 
as  to  that  church  in  particular." 

Another  accession  to  the  number  of  his  friends 
was  made,  about  the  same  time,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Rev.  David  Tappan,  Pastor  of  a 
Church  in  Newbury,  to  the  Professorship  of 
Theology  in  Harvard  College.  Mr.  Morse  had 
not  only  voted,  as  one  of  the  Board  of  Overseers, 
in  favour  of  his  election,  but,  by  his  influence 
with  benevolent  individuals  of  his  own  parish,  had 
assisted  in  raising  the  money  (about  four  hundred 
dollars)  required  by  the  congregation  of  Newbury, 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER, 


27 


as  the  condition  on  which  they  would  part  with 
their  Pastor. 

At  an  early  period  of  his  ministry,  and  even 
before  his  ministry  commenced,  Mr.  Morse  be- 
came deeply  interested  in  the  subject  of  Baptism, 
finding  himself  constrained  to  adopt  views  from 
which  many  good  people  then  dissented,  and 
wliicli  would  find  still  more  numerous  opponents 
at  the  present  day.  As  far  back  as  when  he  was 
a  member  of  College,  he  wrote  a  letter  of  twelve 
pages,  defining  his  views  of  the  subject,  which 
seem  never  to  have  materially  changed,  as  the 
result  of  subsequent  examination.  During  the 
period  that  he  exercised  his  ministry  in  Georgia, 
he  gave  much  attention  to  the  question, — *'  Who 
are  the  proper  subjects  of  Infant  Baptism  ?" — 
and  he  became  fully  confirmed  in  the  opinion 
that  this  ordinance  ought  to  be  administered  not 
only  to  the  children  of  parents,  one  or  both  of 
whom  are  in  full  communion,  but  to  the  children 
of  all  baptized  persouo,  whose  moral  character  is 
good,  provided  they  acknowledge  a  belief  in  the 
essential  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Religion; 

for,"  he  adds, 

"  I  believe  that  baptized  persons  are  members  of  the  visible 
Church,  till  they  are,  by  a  formal  vote  of  the  Church,  excom- 
municated. And  if  they  conduct  themselves  inconsistently 
with  their  covenant  relations,  they  should  be  called  to  account 
for  their  misconduct  by  the  Church,  and  proceeded  against  ia 
the  same  manner  with  those  who  are  in  full  communion." 

Early  in  1791  he  preached  to  his  people  a 


28 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


series  of  five  Sermons  on  Baptism,  rem.irkinfj, 
in  the  introduction, — ''For  twenty  years,  (so  far 
as  I  can  learn,)  the  subject  has  not  been  discussed 
among  you."  He  also  co-operated  with  several 
other  distinguished  men,  in  reference  to  the  same 
object,  either  in  the  way  of  soliciting  them  to 
write,  or  of  securing  a  wide  circulation  to  their 
tracts.  Drs.  Moses  Hemmenway,  Joseph  Lathrop, 
Nathau  Williams,  and  Nathan  Perkins,  each 
wrote  at  some  length  on  the  subject,  and  each 
of  them  proved  an  able  advocate  of  the  views 
he  had  undertaken  to  defend.  With  all  of 
them  Mr.  Morse  was  in  correspondence  while 
they  were  performing  this  service,  or  immedi- 
ately after  they  had  performed  it,  regarding  the 
efforts  which  they  were  severally  making  as 
having  a  vital  bearing  on  the  prosperity  of  the 
Church. 

Dr.  Rodgers  of  New  York  writes  thus  to  him 
under  date  of  May,  1793  : 

"  I  had  almost  forgot  to  tell  you,  what  indeed  ia  one  of  the 
principal  designs  of  this  letter, — that  I  have  not  seen  any 
thing  that  supersedes  the  necessity  of  your  finishing  and  print- 
ing the  Sermons  on  Church-membership,  of  which  we  have 
more  than  once  talked, — particularly  directed  to  the  right  of 
parents  to  be  admitted  to  offer  their  children  in  Baptism,  though 
they  cannot  see  their  way  clear  to  come  to  the  Lord's  table. 
The  prevalence  of  the  New  Divinity  principle  and  practice  on 
that  subject  has  taken  off  much  from  the  importance  and  bind- 
ing nature  of  the  ordinance  of  Infant  Baptism.  The  ordinance 
has  fallen  with  many  not  only  into  disuse  but  disrepute." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  Mr.  Morse 
reduced  his  own  views  to  practice,  as  far  as  he 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


29 


could,  in  his  own  pastoral  charge.  Early  in 
1793  a  Committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
the  Pastor  and  eight  leading  members  of  the 
church,  on  whose  report  the  following  plan  was 
adopted  and  continued  in  practice  during  his 
ministry :  *'  That  persons,  wishing  the  privilege 
of  Baptism  for  themselves  and  their  children, 
shall  be  propounded  to  the  congregation,  and,  if 
no  objection  be  offered,  they  shall  be  admitted  to 
the  privilege,  on  subscribing  a  declaration  of  their 
belief  in  the  Christian  Reliscion." 

Mr.  or  rather  Dr.  Morse  (for  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  had  been  conferred  upon  him 
*n  1794)  was  called,  in  April,  179G,  to  mourn  the 
•leath  of  Thomas  Russell,  the  eminent  merchant, 
who,  though  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  resident  of 
Boston,  was  a  native  of  Charlestown,  and  had 
intended  to  spend  there  the  evening  of  his  life. 
He  preached  a  Sermon  on  the  death  of  that  dis- 
tinguished man,  in  which  he  attributes  to  him 
the  noblest  virtues,  and  declares,  with  great  em- 
phasis, that  he  was  not  ashamed  of  Christ  or  of 
his  Cross.  Only  two  months  after  this,  while  he 
was  on  a  journey  in  the  State  of  New  York,  he 
was  overtaken  with  the  tidings  of  the  death  of 
his  distinguished  parishioner,  Judge  Nathaniel 
Gorham,  President  of  Congress  in  178G.  Com- 
missary Richard  Devens  writes  to  Dr.  Morse  con- 
cerning the  sad  event  as  follows: 

"  The  day  after  you  left  ua  was  held  our  Monthly  Evening 
Lecture.  The  Honorable  Mr.  Gorham  was  present,  and  had 
seemed  for  some  days  past  in  better  than  usual  health.  Be- 


30 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PABI8H  MDaSTEB. 


tttrning  home  through  h'la  garden  (the  nearest  way  from  the 
Church)  with  Mrs.  Gorham,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bartlett, 
he  told  them  he  could  not  speak.  '  You  are  notional,'  replied 
Mrs.  Gorham  with  her  usual  pleasantness.  When  he  got  into 
the  house,  his  face  was  pale,  and,  perceiving  that  thoy  noticed 
it,  he  said, — '  You  are  frightened  now.'  Medical  aid  was 
promptly  procured ;  but  in  vain.  A  paralj'sis  took  place,  apo- 
plexy followed,  and  on  Saturday  he  left  us." 

At  the  Funeral,  the  largest  which  had  ever 
been  known  in  Charlestown,  the  flags  were  at 
half-mast.  The  Sermon  by  Dr.  Thacher,  and  the 
Eulogy  by  Thomas  Welch,  M.  D.,  were  printed 
at  the  expense  of  the  town,  and  a  copy  given  to 
each  family  within  its  limits.  Two  years  after 
this,  Judge  James  Russell,  father  of  Thomas 
Russell,  and  another  eminent  parishioner  of  Dr. 
Morse,  finished  his  course  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-three.  He  was  distinguished  for  public 
spirit,  Christian  philanthropy,  and  general  excel- 
lence of  character.  The  Doctor  preached  and 
published  a  Sermon  containing  a  just  and  beauti 
ful  tribute  to  his  memor3\ 

In  1795  a  Circular  was  sent  extensively  to  the 
Churches,  inviting  them  to  institute  a  Quarterly 
Concert  of  Prayer.  He  acceded  at  once  to  the 
proposal,  and  held  a  meeting  in  his  parish.  He 
writes  to  his  father  shortly  after  as  follows : 

"  I  am  glad  that  your  Concert  Lecture  (in  Woodstock)  proved 
so  agreeable  and  was  so  well  attended.  Ours  was  private,  only 
church-members  being  present.  The  attendance  was  full,  the 
meeting  solemn  and  agreeable.  I  opened  by  reading  the  Cir- 
cular Letter  of  Messrs.  Austin  and  King.  I  read  from  Presi- 
dent Edwards,  in  1747,  remarks,  explaining  the  object  of  the 


HIS  I^VBOURS  AS  A  PAmSII  MINISTER. 


31 


Concert  and  the  reasons  for  it.  Dr.  Ecklcy  and  a  few  of  his 
Church,  and  myself  and  Church,  arc  all  that  joined  in  the 
Concert." 

So  it  was  at  first.  But  two  years  later,  (Janu- 
ary, 1797,)  ill  .1  letter  to  Dr.  Erskine  of  Edin- 
burgh, he  notes  an  important  change: 

*'  The  Concert  of  Prayer  is  regularly  attended  the  first  TueS' 
day  of  every  quarter — January,  April,  &c.,  at  3  o'clock,  P.  M., 
by  six  ministers  in  and  about  Boston.  Our  meetings  are  held 
iu  each  other's  churches  in  rotation.  They  are  full  and  solemn. 
The  effects  have  been  visibly  for  the  advancement  of  our  holy 
religion.  The  friends  of  the  Concert  increase,  I  think,  rather 
than  diminish.  The  ministers  thus  united  are  Dr.  Thacherand 
Dr.  Ecklcy  of  Boston,  Rev.  Mr.  Harris,  of  Dorchester,  and 
myself ;  Dr.  Stillman  and  Mr.  Baldwin,  Baptist  ministers  of 
Boston.  The  Concert  is,  by  no  means,  general  in  the  State 
Here  and  there  a  church  observes  it." 

In  November,  1801.  he  established  a  Saturday 
Evening  Lecture,  which  was  followed  by  very 
happy  results.  The  idea  seems  to  have  been 
suggested  to  him  by  several  affecting  deaths 
which  had  then  lately  occurred  among  the  youuf : 
people  of  his  charge;  and  the  lectures  were  de 
signed  as  familiar  expositions  of  the  leading 
truths  and  duties  of  religion,  taking  the  West- 
minster Assembly's  Sliorter  Catechism  as  his 
guide.  This  course  was  discontinued  after  six 
months,  but  the  lectures  were  resumed  under 
very  favourable  auspices  in  the  fall  of  1802.  At 
the  close  of  this  second  course,  he  writes  (May, 
1803): 

"  I  continued  my  Saturday  Evening  Lectures  to  young  people 
till  the  16th  of  April.    The  number  who  attended  constantly 


32 


HIS  LABODB8  AS  A  PABISH  HINI8TEB. 


was  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  or  four  hnn- 
dred.  The  last  attendance  was  fuller  than  any  other.  I  have 
enjoyed  these  exercises,  and  I  can  not  doubt  of  their  good  effect. 
Eighteen  persons  have  been  added  to  my  church  the  past  six 
months." 

The  Church  Records  show  an  unusual  addition 
to  the  number  of  communicants  at  this  period : 
in  1802,  thirty  three;  in  1803,  twelve;  in  1804, 
fifty-seven;  in  1806,  twenty-nine — an  evidence 
that  the  Charlestown  Congregation  shared  in  the 
reviving  influence  by  which  so  many  of  the  New 
l«]ngland  Cliurches  were  then  favoured. 

On  the  10th  of  January,  J  800,  some  of  his 
parishioners  testified  their  gratitude  and  respect 
towards  him  by  presenting  to  him  the  cloth, 
which  had  been  used  to  shroud  the  pulpit,  the 
three  previous  Sabbaths,  in  token  of  mourning 
for  the  Father  of  his  country..  To  a  grateful  ac- 
knowledgment of  this  expression  of  their  good- 
will he  adds : 

Every  thing  connected  with  the  name  of  Washington  is,  on 
that  account,  precious.  Most  sincerely  do  I  wish  that  one 
happy  effect  of  the  lamented  death  of  the  Father  of  his  country 
may  be  to  cement  friendships  more  strongly,  to  obliterate  eumi* 
tics,  and  to  harmonize  our  country.'* 

At  the  time  of  Dr.  Morse's  settlement  there 
was,  as  there  had  ever  been  since  the  settlement 
of  the  town,  but  one  Meeting-house  in  Charles- 
town — and  that  belonged  to  the  Parish ; — that 
is,  to  the  town  organized  for  the  special  purpose 
of  the  support  of  the  Gospel ;  for  such  was,  at 
that  time,  the  meaning  of  the  word  Parish.  The 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


33 


Parish  sold  the  pews  to  individuals;  and  the 
minister's  salary,  and  other  expenses  of  public 
Avorship,  were  defrayed  by  the  pewholders  alone ; 
and  yet,  strangely  enough,  "  all  the  legal  voters 
of  the  town  (a  few  families  set  off  from  Cam- 
bridge excepted)  had  a  right,  and  exercised  it, 
to  attend  parish-meetings,  and  to  vote  on  all 
matters  that  came  before  that  Body."  While  the 
religious  views  of  all  the  inhabitants  were  alike, 
this  was  harmless.  But  when  the  population 
increased  by  immigration,  and  a  variety  of  reli- 
gious opinions  came  to  be  introduced,  the  effect 
of  this  ill-judged  organization  of  the  Parisli 
began  to  appear.  The  pew-holders  were  out- 
voted at  the  parish  meetings,  and  could  not 
gratify  their  reasonable  wishes  in  regard  to  the 
Pastor's  salary,  and  other  matters  relating  to 
public  worship.  In  179G  they  made  a  voluntary 
subscription  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  salary; 
but  it  was  felt  that  nothing  of  this  kind  could  be 
relied  on  as  a  permanent  arrangement.  In  Sep- 
tember of  this  year  he  thus  shadows  forth  the 
possibility  at  least  of  his  being  obliged  lo  resign 
his  pastoral  charge: 

"  Our  parish  matters  remain  much  in  atatu  quo.  All  expedi- 
ents to  remove  difficulties  are  pursued  without  uniou.  For  a 
month  past  I  have  been  often  perplexed  to  know  what  was  my 
duty,  and  have  seriously  considered  and  weighed  the  conse- 
quences of  a  dissolution  of  my  connection  with  this  people, — an 
event  towards  which  I  have  conceived  the  proceedings  of  the 
Parish  for  some  time  past  have  been  evidently  tending.  I 
have,  at  length,  after  many  most  painful  struggles,  determined 
calmly  and  patiently  to  hold  myself  ready  either  to  continae 


34 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PAKISH  HINISTEB. 


where  I  am,  or  to  remove,  as  the  hand  of  Providence  shall 
direct.  I  have  full  belief  that  the  path  of  duty  will  be  made 
plain  to  me  in  due  time.  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  sincere 
attachment  of  my  numerous  Church,  nor  the  friendship  of  all 
the  mo.st  wealthy  and  respectable  part  of  the  rest  of  the  con- 
gregation. I  have  often  received  from  all  of  them  the  most 
unequivocal  marks  of  respect  and  esteem.  Yet  those  who  ap- 
pear united  in  me,  seem  so  disunited  among  themselves,  through 
various  unfortunate  circumstances,  that  it  seems  to  me  impos- 
sible they  will  ever  be  able  to  devise  or  execute,  unitedly,  any 
plan  which  will  remove  the  existing  obstacles  to  my  continu- 
ance here.  But  the  hearts  of  all  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Great 
Head  of  the  Church,  and  He  will,  I  know,  so  overrule  all 
events  which  to  us  appear  dark,  as  in  the  most  effectual  manner 
to  advance  his  glory.  As  a  confidential  friend,  I  state  to  you 
these  particulars.  The  desire  of  my  heart  is  that  existing 
embarrassments  may  be  removed,  and  that  I  may,  as  happily 
as  I  have  done,  continue  where  I  am ;  but  this,  at  present, 
appears  to  me  doubtful." 

What  was  primarily  needed  to  remedy  the 
evil  in  question  was  an  Act  of  Incorporation ; 
and  vif^orous  efforts  were  made  to  obtain  thi,i 
from  the  Legislature,  though  tliey  met  witli  a 
decided  and  clamorous  opposition.  So  palpable 
however,  were  the  justice  and  reasouableness  ol 
the  measure,  that  the  Legislature  piissed  the  Act, 
thereby  affordiug  the  necessary  relief.  Immedi- 
ately after  this  object  had  been  gained,  he  writes 
to  his  father,  May  5,  1803: 

"  My  own  people  are  now  a  body  by  themselves,  and  act 
unimpeded  by  the  rest  of  the  Parish.  They  have  very  unani- 
mously voted  that  my  salary  shall  be  in  future  the  average  of 
that  of  the  Boston  ConKre<;ational  ministers." 

Until  1801  there  was  but  one  meeting-house 
in  the  town.    In  May  of  that  year  he  assisted 


mS  LABOUKS  AS  A  PARISH  ilDflSTER. 


35 


at  the  Dedication  of  a  Baptist  Church  edifice, 
delivering  the  Introductory  Address,  which, 
with  the  other  services  of  the  occasion,  was 
printed.  Between  this  Society  and  his  own 
there  was  unbroken  harmony  during  his  whole 
pastorate.  With  the  Pastor,  (Rev.  William  Col- 
lier,) as  well  as  with  Doctors  Stillman  and 
Baldwin,  two  eminent  Baptist  ministers  of  Bos- 
ton, he  occasionally  exchanged  pulpits. 

Notwithstanding  the  auspicious  circumstances 
under  which  Dr.  Morse's  ministry  in  Charles- 
town  commenced,  and  the  manifold  tokens  of 
blessing  by  which  it  was  attended  in  its  pro- 
gress, it  cannot  be  denied  that  there  was  much, 
especially  in  the  latter  portion  of  it,  that  was 
vexatious  and  harassing.  When  the  Parish 
voted,  after  the  Act  of  Incorporation,  that  his 
salary  should  in  future  be  the  average  of  that 
of  the  Boston  Congregational  ministers,  they 
rendered  him  this  honourable  tribute, —  **that 
he  discharges  the  duties  of  a  minister  of  th«? 
Gospel  with  great  fidelity,  ability  and  usefulnesi, 
and  well  deserves  a  handsome  support."  And 
on  his  part  he  agrees  that  "he  will,  as  soon  as 
possible,  without  too  great  a  sacrifice,  relinquish 
the  literary  employments  which  were  foreign  to 
the  appropriate  duties  of  his  office,  and  in  which 
he  had  been  obliged  to  engage  in  order  to  supply 
a  considerable  deficiency  in  the  support  of  his 
family." 

To  meet  the  exigency  of  an  increase  of  salary 
the  Parish  depended  partly  upon  a  tax  to  be 


36 


nis  ukBOims  as  a  pakish  minister. 


levied  on  the  property  of  the  pew-holders;  but, 
as  this  proved  an  unpopular  measure,  and  was 
resisted  by  some  even  of  the  wealthy  inhabitants, 
he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Parish  on  the  4th  of 
January,  1804,  informing  them  of  his  purpose  to 
annul  the  new  contract,  and  to  return  to  the 
sahiry  stipulated  at  his  settlement.  In  this 
communication  he  stated  explicitly  that  his 
salary  of  eleven  dollars  a  Sabbath,  and  all  his 
other  income,  except  what  he  derived  from  the 
i-ale  of  his  books,  fell  considerably  short  of  his 
annual  expenditures.  He  added  that,  under 
these  circumstances,  he  should  feel  at  liberty  to 
consider  any  invitation  which  might  be  presented 
by  some  other  parish,  disposed  to  give  him  an 
adequate  support,  while  he  bestowed  the  due 
proportion  of  his  time  and  attention  upon  his 
api>ropriate  pastoral  duties. 

This  communication  led  to  an  explanation 
with  the  Parish  Committee,  which,  by  their 
request,  he  embodied  in  a  letter  to  the  Parish, 
(20  January,  1804,)  disavowing,  at  the  same  time, 
any  wish  to  leave  his  pastoral  charge,  provided 
he  could  receive  from  them  a  fair  and  honour- 
able support.  If  this  should  be  the  result  of  the 
pending  negotiation,  he  intimated  his  purpose  to 
make  an  arrangement  by  means  of  which  his 
geographical  works  would  not  be  allowed,  in  any 
degree,  to  interfere  with  his  pastoral  duties;  as 
he  would  confine  himself  to  the  revision  and  pre- 
paration for  the  press  of  the  several  editions  as 
they  should  be  called  for — a  service  that  would 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  PAItlSII  MINISTER. 


37 


not  occupy  him  more  than  an  hour  a  day,  on  an 
average,  through  the  year.  The  Parish  voted 
that  it  was  expedient  that  their  relation  with 
tlieir  Pastor  be  continued  on  the  terms  and  con- 
ditions explained  in  his  letter.  During  the 
period  of  five  years  that  this  contract  lasted,  he 
records  that  "  not  half  the  time  stipulated  for 
was  spent  by  him  upon  his  geographical  works." 

In  1808,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  ascertaining 
the  average  of  the  Boston  salaries,  and  to  the 
want  of  funds  on  the  part  of  the  Parish,  this 
contract  was  annulled,  and  it  was  stipulated  that 
he  should  receive  twenty- two  dollars  a  week, 
Avith  the  use  of  the  parsonage.  As  the  Parish 
had,  without  any  request  from  him,  increased 
his  salary  in  1803,  so  he  made  no  objection  now 
to  its  being  reduced;  and,  as  the  amount  was 
confessedly  inadequate  to  the  support  of  his 
family,  he  was  expected  to  resort  to  the  same 
means  as  before, — namely,  to  the  prosecution 
of  his  geographical  enterprise,  to  supply  tho 
deficiency. 

From  the  outline  already  given  of  Dr.  Morsels 
life,  it  has  been  apparent  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most  industrious  of  men ;  and  hence  it  is  no 
ground  of  surprise  that  he  took  upon  himself 
heavier  burdens  than  his  health  would  warrant. 
In  1809  he  found  himself  so  much  oppressed  by 
his  manifold  cares  and  labours,  that,  by  the 
advice  of  his  physician,  he  consented  to  with- 
draw from  them  temporarily,  and  in  November 
of  that  year  he  left  home,  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
4 


38 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PAKISH  MINISTER. 


Morse,  and  went  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  they 
passed  the  winter  and  spring  in  the  family  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Keith.  Shortly  after  his  arrival 
there,  he  accepted  an  invitation  from  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  Congregation  to  supply  their  vacant 
pulpit  for  three  months.  And,  having  fulfilled 
this  engagement,  he  made  an  excursion  of  a 
month  with  Mrs.  Morse,  of  which  he  gives  the 
following  account  in  a  letter  to  his  father,  dated 
Pinckney's  Island,  5  April,  1810. 

'*  On  Fr'ulay  the  15th  of  last  month,  we  left  Charleston 
for  Beaufort,  which,  by  water,  is  about  ninety  miles  distant. 
Hero  lives  Dr.  James  E.  B.  Finley,  Mrs.  Morse's  uncle. 
Here,  on  Thursila}',  the  21st,  I  left  her,  and  came  by  boat  to 
this  place,  which  is  the  country  residence  of  Major  General 
Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  who  was  candidate  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States  in  1804,  in  opposition  to  Mr. 
Jefferson,  lie  owns  the  whole  of  the  Island,  which  is  about 
nine  miles  in  circumference,  and  is  about  eighteen  miles  South 
of  Beaufort,  and  forty  Northeast  of  Savannah.  He  is  a  man  of 
large  fortune  and  is  very  hospitable.  He,  with  Mrs.  Pinckney 
and  daughter,  a  few  years  since,  spent  a  summer  near  Boston, 
and  frequently^  visited  at  our  house.  Next  day,  Friday  the 
22d,  General  Pinckney  sent  me  in  a  barge,  rowed  by  four  stout 
negroes,  to  Savannah,  where  I  arrived  in  the  evening,  and 
remained  with  Dr.  Kollock,*  and  other  good  friends,  until 
Monday ;  when  I  took  a  horse  and  chaise,  with  a  servant  on 
horseback,  and  went  on  to  Midway  and  Sunbury,  where  I  had 
spent  the  winter  of  178G-87.  Here  I  found  a  few  only  of  my 
old  friends,  most  of  them  having  died  in  this  sickly  place.  The 
young  people  whom  I  married  and  baptized  were  still  living. 
The  next  day  (Tuesday  2Gth)  I  delivered  a  lecture  in  a  new 
bouse  of  worship,  on  the  spot  where  I  had  formerly  preached, — 
notice  of  the  service  having  been  given  the  Sa]»bath  before. 


•  Lemuel  Kollock,  M.  D.,  who  died  in  1823. 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


39 


The  lecture  iras  fully  attended  and  the  scene  was  truly  affect- 
ing. ]\Iany  tears  were  shed,  of  joy  at  meeting  once  more  in 
this  world,  and  of  grief  at  the  remembrance  of  the  dead.  !Much 
regret  was  expressed  that  I  could  not  prolong  my  visit.  Hut 
my  feelings  were  so  strongly  excited  that  I  could  not  have 
endured  a  longer  stay.  The  next  day  (Monday  27th)  I  returned 
to  Savannah,  and  on  Saturday,  the  3Uth,  took  boat  and  came 
back  to  this  place." 

On  their  return  to  Charleston,  .about  the  middle 
of  April,  he  found  letters  from  home,  which  hast- 
ened his  departure  for  the  North.  Tliese  letters 
Miformed  him  that  some  of  the  religious  interests 
i'u  wliich  he  felt  a  deep  concern  would  he  im- 
perilled ])y  his  protracted  absence,  and  urged  his 
return  at  the  earliest  period  that  his  health  would 
permit.  Agreeably  to  these  suggestions,  he  com- 
menced his  homeward  journey  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible,  and  the  last  week  in  May  found 
him  at  home,  engaged  in  his  accustomed  pastoral 
labours.  The  object  of  his  tour  was  fully  accom- 
plished in  the  tJomplete  restoration  of  his  health. 
Shortly  after  his  return,  he  was  privileged  to 
witness  a  somewhat  more  favourable  religious 
state  of  things  in  his  Parish,  as  the  result  of 
which  twenty-nine  were  added  to  the  church  in 
the  course  of  the  year. 

Subsequently  to  this,  however,  the  relations 
between  him  and  his  congregation  assumed  a 
more  dubious  character,  though  he  seems  gene- 
rally to  have  reposed  in  the  conviction  that  light 
would  ere  long  shine  out  of  the  darkness.  In 
July,  J8IG,  he  made  an  earnest  Address  to  the 
church-members,  with  a  view  to  arouse  them  to 


40 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PABISH  MINISTEB. 


a  higher  sense  of  Christian  obligation.  In  this 
Address,  after  having  dwelt  at  some  length  on 
the  history  of  the  Church,  in  connection  with  the 
ministry  of  his  several  predecessors,  he  speaks 
thus  of  his  own  times : 

"  When  I  was  first  settled  here,  this  Church  consisted  of  forty- 
two  male  and  ninety  female  members — total  a  hundred  and 
thirty-two ;  thirty  of  whom  only  now  remain  alive.  The  addi- 
tions since  my  settlement  have  been  seventy-five  males  and  two 
hundred  thirt^'-three  females — three  hundred  and  eii^ht  in  all — 
forty-five  of  them  admitted  by  recommendation  from  other 
churches.  For  the  last  ten  months,  there  have  been  no  addi- 
tions to  this  Church ;  so  long  an  interval  of  the  kind  has  not 
before  occurred  since  my  settlement  with  you." 

He  next  adverts  to  the  neglect  of  church  dis- 
cipline.   He  says : 

"  Some  who  dwell  among  us,  though  often  admonished  of 
their  sins,  have  absented  themselves  month  after  month,  and 
year  after  year,  from  our  Communion  and  worship.  Others 
have  been  left  to  fall  into  open  immoralities,  for  which,  though 
reproved  privatel}",  and  in  some  instances  publickly,  they  ha^o 
not  been  brought  to  repentance  and  reformation,  and  stiil 
remain  in  their  sins,  and  in  connection  with  the  Church.'' 

The  remedy  for  these  evils  he  proposes  to  find 
in  individual  reformation,  in  agreeing  as  a  Church 
to  spend  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer, 
in  solemnly  renewing  their  Covenant,  and  in 
proceeding  immediately  to  acts  of  discipline 
in  reference  to  some  members  whose  delinquency 
has  been  of  long  standing.  He  recommends  the 
appointment  of  a  discreet  Committee  to  examine 
into  the  particular  condition  of  all  the  individuals 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


41 


whose  names  stand  on  the  records  of  the  Church 
as  members.  I  find  nothing  to  indicate  how  far 
this  advice  was  heeded,  or  whether  it  was  heeded 
at  all. 

Dr.  Morse  attributed  the  difficulties  into  which 
he  was  now  brought,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the 
formation  of  a  Unitarian  Church  in  Charlestown, 
which  was  incorporated  in  February,  1816,  under 
the  name  of  the  *  Second  Congregational  Society.' 
Many  of  the  most  influential  of  his  parishioners 
became  connected  with  this  new  Church,  and 
among  them  his  own  family  physician,  who  ad- 
dressed to  him  a  respectful  letter,  in  February, 
1817,  stating  with  great  frankness  the  reasons 
of  his  withdrawal,  all  of  which  were  embodied  in 
the  one  fact  of  his  acknowledged  hostility  to 
Unitarianism.  To  this  letter  Dr.  Morse  wrote  a 
vigorous  and  elaborate  reply,  in  which  he  charges 
that  his  rights  as  a  Christian  minister  have  beeir 
grossly  trifled  with  by  those  from  whom  he  had  3 
right  to  expect  better  things,  while  yet  his  fuli 
purpose  was  to  exercise  a  spirit  of  candour  and 
forbearance,  and  do  his  utmost  to  extinguish  the 
coals  of  strife. 

A  better  state  of  things  seemed  now  to  be 
opening  upon  his  Congregation.  From  October, 
18 IG,  till  March  following,  a  revival  of  consider- 
able power  existed  among  them,  in  consequence 
of  which  not  less  than  fifty  new  members  were 
added  to  the  Church.  This  he  records  as  the 
most  remarkable  season  of  religious  interest 
which  had  occurred  during  his  ministry ;  and  he 


42  HIS  LABOUBS  AB  A  PARISH  lONISTES. 


was  disposed  to  recognize  in  it  a  pledge  of  peace 
and  prosperity  in  the  future.  But  herein  he  was 
disappointed.  After  about  two  years  of  quietude, 
a  state  of  things  revealed  itself  rather  suddenly, 
which  threw  him  into  deeper  perplexity  than 
ever.  On  the  19th  of  February,  1819,  he  received 
a  paper  signed  by  twenty-five  church-members, 
requesting  him  to  unite  with  the  Church  in  calling 
a  Mutual  Council  to  dissolve  his  pastoral  relation. 
His  family  and  friends  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood whom  he  consulted,  earnestly  advised 
him  "to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  that 
now  ofiered  to  withdraw  quietly  from  a  field  in 
which  were  open  so  many  sources  of  perplexity 
and  embarrassment.  Professor  Stuart,  in  behalf 
of  himself  and  his  colleagues  in  the  Theological 
Seminary,  addressed  a  letter  to  him,  expressing 
deep  regret  in  view  of  the  loss  of  his  influence 
to  various  important  objects,  necessarily  conse- 
quent upon  his  removal  from  that  region,  and 
yet,  from  a  regard  to  his  own  personal  comfort, 
advising,  on  the  whole,  to  the  resignation  of  his 
pastoral  charge.  Though  he  seems  not  to  have 
been  quite  clear  in  his  own  convictions  of  duty 
on  the  subject,  he  felt  constrained  to  yield  to 
what  he  regarded  as  the  more  impartial  judgment 
of  his  friends ;  and,  in  his  request  for  a  dismission, 
he  thought  proper  to  ignore  the  painful  state  of 
things  in  which  the  request  had  originated. 

He  took  leave  of  his  people,  after  the  usual 
services  of  the  Sabbath,  on  the  29th  of  August, 
1819,  in  an  Address  from  the  pulpit,  announcing 


mS  LABOUKS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


43 


to  them  liis  purpose  to  resign  his  pastoral  charge. 
The  general  tone  of  the  Address  may  be  inferred 
from  the  following  extracts : 

For  more  than  thirty  years  past,  in  a  very  peculiar  and 
convulsed  state  of  the  world,  amidst  the  rise  and  rapid  propa- 
gation among  us  of  insidious  and  dangerous  errors,  which  have 
assailed  us  ou  every  side,  and  which  I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to 
expose  and  resist,  I  have  endeavoured  faithfully,  though  in 
much  imperfection,  to  watch  over  you,  to  guard  you  and  to 
feed  you  with  the  bread  of  life,  and  to  take  care  of  the  lambs 
of  my  flock.  As  to  these  things,  my  appeal  is  to  you.  -Ye  arc 
my  witnesses. 

"  Amidst  the  pressing  call  for  service  without,  which  the 
peculiar  state  of  the  Church  and  of  the  world  at  large  has 
seemed  to  me  to  require,  the  necessity  too  which  I  have  been 
under  to  labour  for  a  part  of  my  own  support,  and  the  duties  I 
owed  to  my  flock,  it  has  been  my  endeavour,  with  all  the  wis- 
dom that  I  could  command,  to  select  the  things  which  seemed 
to  me  to  claim  my  first  attention,  and  to  do  them.  If  I  have 
erred  in  making  a  selection,  it  is  an  error  of  the  head  and  not 
of  the  heart.  I  have  done  what  I  could  in  the  station  in  which 
the  Head  of  the  Church  has  placed  me.  With  Him  is  my 
judgment. 

*«•••••* 

"  As  regards  myself,  I  view  the  dissolution  of  my  pastoral 
relation  to  you  as  a  release  from  a  station  of  great  responsibility, 
of  arduous  and  constant  warfare ;  as  a  relief  from  cares  long 
sustained,  which  have  impaired  my  health,  and  have  become  a 
burden  too  weighty  for  my  years  and  my  slender  constitution. 
*•••«••• 

"  In  what  manner  this  event  is  to  affect  the  interests  of  this 
Church  and  Parish,  and  the  cause  of  religion  in  this  region, 
cannot  be  foreseen.  I  feel  more  than  I  dare  trust  myself  to 
express,  for  such  of  you,  my  brethren  and  sisters  of  this  Church, 
as  have  considered  it  your  duty,  with  me  to  resist  the  evils 
which  have  come  upon  us.  Trust  in  God  and  cleave  to  Him 
with  all  your  heart.    He  will  give  yoa  the  blessings  you  need.* 


44 


HIS  LAtoUBS  AS  A  PABISH  MIXISTEB. 


This  was  the  last  time  that  he  ever  appeared 
before  his  Congregation  as  their  Pastor.  Leaving 
in  the  hands  of  the  Parish  Committee  the  whole 
matter  of  the  appointment  of  his  successor,  he 
entered  immediately  upon  other  duties.  While 
on  a  journey,  which  he  commenced  shortly  after 
this,  the  intelligence  was  conveyed  to  him  that 
the  Rev.  AYarren  Fay,  of  Harvard,  Mass.,  had 
been  selected  as  a  candidate  for  the  vacant  pulpit. 
Regarding  Mr.  Fay  as  a  tlioroughly  orthodox 
man,  and  as  possessing  great  decision  of  character, 
he  immediately  wrote  to  his  friends,  expressing 
his  hearty  approbation  of  the  choice,  and  a  wish 
that  their  influence  might  be  exerted  in  favour 
of  his  settlement.  In  a  letter  of  a  later  date  he 
expresses  a  wish  that,  if  the  Church  and  Parish 
should  give  Mr.  Fay  a  call,  they  would  address  a 
letter  to  him  in  New  York,  naming  the  Churches 
and  Pastors  they  desired  to  have  on  the  Install- 
ing Council,  and  stating  that  he  would  name 
those  whom  he  would  choose  in  addition,  that 
the  Installation  might  take  place  before  his 
return,  if  they  should  desire  it.  At  a  later  date 
still,  (January  26,  1820,)  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  Parish  Committee,  containing  the  names  of 
three  ministers,  which  number  it  belonged  to 
him  to  appoint  on  the  Mutual  Council,  which  was 
to  assemble  for  the  joint  purpose  of  acting  upon 
the  question  of  his  dismission  and  installing  Mr. 
Fay  as  his  successor — these  were  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Osgood  of  Medford,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Green- 
ough  and  Homer  of  Newton, — *'  they  being,"  he 


raS  LABOURS  AS  A  PARISH  MINISTER. 


45 


says,  "  the  most  aged  Pastors  in  the  vicinity,  and 
naturally  caring  for  the  flock  which  I  resign  to 
another  Pastor."  As  he  was  prevented  from 
meeting  the  Council,  by  his  prolonged  absence, 
owing  to  important  business,  he  addressed  a  letter 
to  them  containing  his  request  for  a  dismission. 
Tliat  request  was  complied  with,  at  their  meet- 
ing on  the  22d  of  February,  immediatel}'^  after 
which  they  proceeded  to  the  InstaUation  of  Mr. 
Fay. 

Dr.  Morse's  strictly  professional  life  may  be 
considered  as  now  closed.  Thoun;h  he  often 
preached  subsequently  to  this,  and  was  engaged 
almost  till  the  close  of  life  in  important  fields  of 
evangelical  labour,  every  way  worthy  of  a  Chris- 
tian minister,  yet,  considering  his  advanced 
years,  and  his  very  imperfect  health,  he  had  no 
desire  to  enter,  a  second  time,  into  the  pastoral 
relation.  His  intense  earnestness  and  activity, 
forming,  as  they  did,  essential  elements  of  his 
nature,  were  patent  in  all  his  movements,  and 
would  scarcely  allow  him  any  rest  urtil  he  went 
to  the  "rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of 
God." 


n. 

His  Labours  m  connection  with  the  Unitarian  Con- 
troversy AND  OTHER  MATTERS  CONSEQUENT  UPON  IT. 

Dr.  Morse's  ministry  fell  into  a  period  that 
was  rendered  memorable  in  New  England  by  the 
rise  and  development  of  Unitarianism ;  and 
probably  his  agency  in  conducting  the  contro- 
versy was  more  marked,  as  well  as  more  con- 
tinuous and  protracted,  than  that  of  any  other 
minister  on  the  Orthodox  side.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  do  justice  to  his  life,  without  going 
somewhat  into  the  details  of  this  part  of  his 
history. 

Notwithstanding  Unitarianism  had  never,  to 
any  considerable  extent,  taken  on  a  palpable 
form,  up  to  the  period  of  the  commencement  of 
his  ministry  at  Charlestown,  there  is  no  doubt 
tbat  it  dated  back  to  about  the  middle  of  the 
last  century.  The  elder  President  Adams,  in  a 
letter  to  Dr.  Morse,  written  in  April,  1815, 
renders  the  following  testimony  on  this  subject : 

"  I  can  testify  as  a  witness  to  the  old  age  of  Unitarianism. 
Sixty-five  years  ago,  my  old  minister,  (of  Braintree),  the  Rev. 
Lemuel  Bryant ;  Dr.  Jonathan  Mayhew  of  the  West  Church 
in  Boston ;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shute  of  Uinguam,  the  Rev.  John 
Brown  of  Cohasset,  and  perhaps  equal  to  all,  if  not  above  all, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Gay  of  Hingham,  were  UnitarianB.    Among  the 


UNITARIAN  CX3NTROVERST. 


47 


laity  how  maDj  could  I  name,  lawyers,  physicians,  tradesmen, 
farmers.  I  could  fill  a  sheet,  but  at  present  will  name  only 
one,  Richard  Cranch,  a  man  who  had  studied  Divinity  and 
Jewish  Antiquities  more  than  any  clergyman  now  living  in  New 
England." 

In  1755  Dr.  Mayhew  published  a  volume  of 
Sermons  which,  though  not  generally  of  a  con- 
troversial character,  revealed  clearly  enough  the 
fact  that  he  was  an  Anti-Trinitarian.  The  next 
year  was  reprinted  in  Boston  "  Emlyn's  Humble 
Inquiry  into  the  Scriptural  account  of  Jesus 
Christ."  The  author  of  this  work  was  a  learned 
English  Dissenting  minister,  who,  though  he  had 
befell  previously  inclined  to  Arianism,  had  con- 
tinued in  fellowship  with  other  Dissenters  until 
this  book  was  published,  (about  the  year  1700,) 
while  he  was  residing  at  Dublin;  and  such  was 
the  opposition  that  it  awakened  that  it  was  imme- 
diately suppressed,  and  he  was  not  only  separated 
from  his  charge,  but  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison.  A  few  months  after  its  appearance  in 
this  country,  the  elder  Jonathan  Edwards,  then 
stationed  at  Stockbridge,  addressed  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Wigglesworth,  Professor  of  Theology  in  Harvard 
College,  deprecating  the  effect  of  the  then  recent 
publication,  and  urging  him,  especially  in  view 
of  his  position  as  a  theological  teacher,  to  write 
and  publish  an  Answer  to  the  book  as  early  as 
possible.  Dr.  Wigglesworth  did  not,  however, 
accede  to  the  request,  alleging,  as  the  ground 
of  his  refusal,  his  conviction  that  the  public 
notices  which  had  been  taken  of  Dr.  Mayhew's 


48 


UNITARIAN  OONTBOVERSY. 


book  had  contributed  to  its  wider  circulation,  and 
that  the  best  way  to  neutralize  the  effect  of  the 
work  in  question  was  to  let  it  alone.  But  some 
of  the  most  prominent  Orthodox  ministers  of  the 
day  did  not  sympathize  with  the  Professor  in  his 
apprehensions,  as  was  evident  from  the  fact  that 
the  Ilev.  Aaron  Burr,  son-in-law  of  Jonathan 
Edwards,  and  his  predecessor  as  President  of 
Princeton  College,  the  Rev.  Noah  Ilobart  of  Fair- 
field, Conn.,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bellamy,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  Hopkins  of  Newport,  all  rendered 
a  public  and  strongly  condemnatory  testimony 
in  respect  to  the  recent  movement  in  favour  of 
Unitarianism. 

The  War  of  the  Revolution  was  a  matter  of 
such  absorbing  and  universal  interest  that,  while 
it  continued,  there  was  little  disposition  to  en- 
gage in  this  or  any  other  religious  controversy; 
but,  in  1785,  two  years  after  the  recognition  of 
our  Independence,  an  event  occurred  iu  connec- 
tion with  the  Church  worshipping  in  King's 
Chapel,  th.at  furnished  decisive  evidence  that 
the  tendencies  to  Unitarianism  had  survived  the 
war.    The  Rev.  James  Freeman,  who  had  been 
appointed  Reader  in  the  Chapel  three  years  be- 
fore, was  an  avowed  Unitarian,  it  is  believed  of 
the  Humanitarian  school ;  and  he  modified  the 
Episcopal  Liturgy  in  accommodation  to  his  own 
views.    He  subsequently  applied  to  Bishops  Sea- 
bury  and  Provost  for  Ordination,  but  neither  of 
them  would  consent  to  perform  the  service.  In 
consequence  of  this  refusal,  his  Congregation  and 


UNITARIAN  CONTROVERSY. 


49 


Church  Wardens  took  upon  themselves  this 
Episcopal  oflice,  and  proceeded  to  constitute  Mr. 
Freeman  their  Rector  or  Pastor.  This  invasion 
of  the  Episcopal  prerogative  naturally  occasioned 
much  comment,  and,  while  many  were  earnest  in 
condemning  it,  there  were  some  Avho  recognized 
in  it  a  glorious  triumph  of  the  right.  Dr.  Bel- 
knap, for  instance,  in  the  Boston  Centinel,  vin- 
dicates the  step  as  the  "  exercise  of  a  long 
dormant  right,  which  every  Society,  civil  and 
religious,  has  to  elect  and  ordain  their  own 
officers,"  and  rejoiced  at  this  triumph  over  the 
"sacerdotal,  prelatical,  and  hierarchical  usurpa- 
tion" which  he  thought  inherent  in  Episcopacy. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Theophilus  Lindsey  of 
London,  one  of  the  fathers  of  Unitarianism  in 
England,  dated  July  7,  1786,  Mr.  Freeman,  after 
having  stated  that  the  altered  Liturgy  which  he 
used  was  "for  a  long  time  unpopular,"  writes 
thus : 

*'  But  your  approbation,  the  note  of  Dr.  Price  annexed  to  a 
letter  of  Dr.  Lush,  and  the  mention  which  Dr.  Priestley  is 
pleased  to  make  in  his  sermon  on  the  .5th  of  November,  have 
raised  it  in  esteem.  It  noweeems  to  be  acknowledged  that  the 
book  cannot  be  very  absurd  which  is  praised  by  men  of  such 
great  learning  and  abilities,  and  who  have  been  so  long  and  so 
justly  admired  in  this  country.  I  wish  the  work  were  more 
worthy  of  your  approbation.  I  can  only  say  that  I  endea- 
voured to  make  it  so  by  attempting  to  introduce  your  Liturgy 
entire.  But  the  people  of  the  Chapel  were  not  ripe  for  so 
great  a  change.  Some  defects  and  improprieties  I  was  under 
the  necessity  of  retaining,  for  the  sake  of  inducing  them  to 
omit  the  most  exceptionable  parts  of  the  old  service, — the 
5 


50 


UNITARIAN  CONTROVERSY. 


Atbanasian  prayers.  Perhaps,  in  some  fature  day,  when  their 
minds  become  more  enlightened,  they  may  consent  to  a  farther 
alteration." 

It  was  only  a  few  months  after  Dr.  Morse's 
settlement  in  Cliarlestown  that  he  became  aware 
that  some  of  his  clerical  associates  were  Unita- 
rians. In  writing  to  his  father,  December  30, 
1789,  he  says: 

"  I  have  been  writing,  by  particular  desire  of  a  Boston 
gentleman,  a  defence  of  the  Divinity  of  the  Saviour, — a  doc- 
trine that  is  denied  by  many.  I  have  written  twelve  sheets 
upon  the  subject.  I  know  not  but  I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to 
publish." 

He  here  refers  to  an  anonymous  letter  he 
had  received,  sij^ned  "A  Layman"  in  which 
the  writer  asserts  the  Unity  of  God,  and  denies 
the  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  deriving  his  proofs 
chiefly  from  Eml3'^n*s  Humble  Inquiry ;  but  pro- 
fesses himself  open  to  conviction,  if  his  arguments 
can  be  disproved  from  the  Scriptures.  In  reply 
he  wrote  and  sent  the  Dissertation  above  referred 
to,  to  his  Boston  correspondent  for  his  perusal. 
He  also  composed  three  Sermons  on  the  Divinity 
of  Christ  from  the  text, — I  John,  1,23.,  which 
he  preached,  at  the  Boston  Tliursday  Lecture, 
in  his  turn  successively,  in  January,  July,  and 
December,  1790. 

In  his  Introductory  Discourse  he  says: 

"  This  inquiry  is  not  of  a  mere  speculative  nature.  I  know 
that  great  and  good  men  have  discussed  it,  and  after  all  have 
differed  widely  in  their  sentiments  in  regard  to  the  dignity 


DNITAIIIAN  CONTROVERSY. 


51 


of  Jesus  Christ.  But  I  cannot  suppose  that  therefore  it  is  a 
matter  of  indifference  what  I  believe  concerning  Ilim.  Nor  ia 
the  subject  of  so  doubtful  and  difficult  a  nature  that  it  is  not 
to  be  handled,  and  that  every  one  may  be  safely  left  to  form 
what  opinion  he  pleases  concerning  Jesus  Christ.  Convinced 
as  I  am  of  his  Divinity,  and  that  this  is  a  fundamental  truth  of 
Christianity,  I  desire  by  every  fair  argument  to  convince  others. 
As  a  disciple  of  Christ,  as  his  ambassador, — however  unworthy 
of  the  honour, — I  am  under  indispensable  obligations,  as  far  as 
my  knowledge  and  ability  will  admit,  not  only  to  inculcate  his 
excellent  moral  precepts,  and  to  illustrate  and  defend  his  doc- 
trines, but  especially  to  maintain  his  personal  honour  and 
dignity,  and  to  assert  and  vindicate  his  Divinity.  They  who 
have  committed  their  immortal  interests  to  Jesus  Christ,  will 
feel  constrained  to  vindicate  his  right  to  a  Divine  character, 
which  the  Scriptures  assign  to  Him,  and  from  their  faith  in 
which  they  derive  their  chief  comfort  in  life,  their  solace  in 
death,  and  their  only  hope  for  the  life  to  come.  That  I  shall 
convince  those  who  differ  from  me  in  opinion  on  this  point, 
however  earnestly  I  may  desire  it,  I  have  not  the  vanity  to 
expect ;  for  I  do  not  pretend  to  bring  any  new  arguments  to 
their  view.  My  aim  is  to  make  a  plain,  frank  declaration  of 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures.  When  an 
article  of  faith  of  so  much  importance  comes  to  be  called  in 
question,  denied,  laughed  at,  it  behooves  those  who  believe  the 
doctrine  to  lend  their  seasonable  aid  for  its  maintenance.  At 
such  a  time  as  this  especially,  its  vindication  cannot  but  be  of 
service,  by  the  Divine  blessing,  to  the  cause  of  truth." 

After  a  time  the  anonymous  correspondent 
referred  to  above,  makes  himself  known  by  the 
following  communication : 

"  Boston,  5  February,  1791. 
*'  To  Rev.  J.  Morse ;  Honoured  Sir :  I  ought  to  apologire 
for  the  request  I  now  make,  which  is  that  you  would  favour  me 
with  an  answer  to  the  arguments  contained  in  the  scrap  of  paper 
enclosed,  cat  from  the  late  edition  of  *  Extracts  from  Stock* 


52 


UNITARIAN  OONTROVEKSY. 


well's  Dissertation  on  Creeds.*  The  only  apology,  however,, 
which  I  can  offer  is  that  I  know  of  no  one  whom  I  thought 
more  able  to  resolve  me  in  a  matter  I  so  much  wL:ihed  to  be 
satisGed  in ;  and  that  I  was  well  assured  you  was  disposed,  as 
well  from  Inclination  as  from  office,  to  obviate  any  objection 
that  might  be  raised  against  a  doctrine  which  you  have  been  so 
assiduous  to  inculcate  on  jour  hearers.  Your  compliance  will 
greatly  oblige  me.    I  am,  &c.,  JOHN  AMOllY." 

To  this  letter  he  returned  the  following  an- 
swer on  the  7th  of  February : 

"  Sir :  I  have  received  yours  of  the  5th  Inst.,  with  the  en- 
closed Questions,  «&c.  By  your  hand-writing  I  perceive.  Sir, 
that  3'uu  are  the  author  of  the  manuscript,  whose  name  till  now 
I  never  satisfactorily  knew.  That  manuscript  first  led  me  to  con- 
sider with  particular  attention  the  proofs  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity.  Had  I  not  received  it,  I  should  not  probabl}'  have  under- 
taken the  defence  of  that  doctrine  from  the  pulpit, — not  certainly 
so  soon.  But  when  I  found  that  sentiments  were  entertained  un- 
friendly to  a  doctrine  which  I  conceive  fundamental  to  the 
Christian  scheme,  and  that  these  sentiments  were  covertly 
propagated  in  Boston,  I  conceived  It  was  my  duty  to  be  oiyen 
in  my  testimony  against  them.  So  that  I  am  obliged  to  you. 
Sir,  as  the  cause,  under  God,  why  I  have  been,  as  )-ou  say,  'so 
assiduous  in  Inculcating  the  doctrine  upon  my  hearers.' 

"  You  are  pleased  to  say,  by  way  of  apology  for  your  re- 
quest, that  you  knew  of  no  person  whom  you  thought  more  able 
than  myself  to  resolve  you  In  the  matter  in  hand.  I  am  really 
at  a  loss,  Sir,  to  know  how  to  receive  your  apology : — whether 
as  prompted  by^  your  partiality  and  good  opinion  of  me,  or  as  a 
sarcasm  on  my  vanity  and  ignorance  in  undertaking  publicly  to 
defend  a  doctrine  which  is  now  generally  passed  over  in  silence, 
and  Is  considered  by  many  in  this  enlightened  age  to  be  '  ab- 
surd '  and  nonsensical,  and  such  as  none  but  bigots  will  under- 
take to  defend.  Two  circumstances  led  me  to  consider  your 
apology  of  this  doubtful  signification:  one  is,  I  have  stood 
solitary  among  my  brethren  In  the  public  defence  of  this  doc- 
trine, which,  in  view  of  my  age  and  standing  among  them,  may 


UNITARIAN  OONTROVEUSY. 


53 


be,  and  doubtless  is,  regarded  by  some  of  them  as  savouring 
of  vanity,  ignorance  and  bigotry.  I  cannot  say  but  it  may 
appear  so  to  you.  Sir,  especially  as  you  arc  not  a  believer  in 
this  doctrine.  The  other  reason  is,  I  am  very  conscious  that 
my  Boston  brethren,  who  are  all  older,  more  experienced  and 
better  theologians  than  myself,  are  any  of  them  better  able 
than  I  am  to  resolve  you  in  a  question  of  so  much  importance. 
And  I  cannot  have  the  vanity  to  believe  that  any  person,  espe- 
cially a  gentleman  of  your  good  sense  and  discernment,  could 
think  that  '  no  one  '  of  them  was  more  able  to  do  it  than  myself. 
Those  doubts,  I  confess,  have  arisen  in  my  mind.  Whether 
you  intentionally  laid  a  fimndation  for  them,  I  pretend  not  to 
say.    I  am  willing  to  believe  you  did  not  till  I  am  certified  to 

the  contrary.    I  will  therefore  proceed  to  answer  the  queries." 
******* 

To  this  letter  Mr.  Amory  replied  thus  on  the 
15th  of  February: 

"  Honoured  Sir:  I  received  your  favour  of  the  7th  instant, 
and  am  obliged  to  you  for  it.  I  should  not  have  again  troubled 
you,  had  I  not  been  exceedingly  mortified  that  a  suspicion  had 
arisen  in  your  mind  that  I  might  not  have  been  sincere,  but 
only  meant  a  sarcasm,  when  T  declared  that  I  knew  no  one  so 
able  as  yourself  to  afford  me  a  satisfactory  answer  (if  one  could 
be  given)  to  the  question  proposed.  So  far  from  judging  that 
your  standing  forth  almost  the  solitary  advocate  among  your 
brethren  of  a  doctrine  which  was  openly  attacked,  and  which 
you  thought  fundamental,  savoured  of  vanity,  this  very  circum- 
stance created  in  me  an  esteem  for  you.  And  I  cannot  help 
here  regretting  that  those  gentlemen  of  the  clergy  who,  when 
occasions  oflFer  which  they  think  suitable,  are  ready  to  declare 
themselves  to  be  Unitarians,  do  not,  with  honest  boldness,  like 
yourself  and  Mr.  Freeman,  avow  their  sentiments  in  unequi- 
vocal terms  from  the  pulpit.  Surely  if  they  thought,  with  the 
Publishers  of  the  *  Extracts,'  &c.,  that  it  was  the  incumbent 
duty  of  all  who  disbelieved  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  to  bear 
testimony  against  it,  for  the  reasons  assigned  in  their  Preface, 
they  woold'not  suffer  any  consideration  whatever  to  deter  them 
from  their  duty.    With,  &c.,  JOHN  AMORY." 


54 


UNITARIAN  OOXTROVZESY. 


Early  in  1790  a  new.  edition  of  Emljn's  In- 
quiry was  announced  as  in  press  in  Boston. 
Referring  to  the  fact  in  a  letter  to  his  father,  of 
the  13th  of  April,  he  says  : 

"  I  know  not  but  I  shall  be  called  on  to  publish  in  defence 
of  the  Divinity  of  Christ.  That  doctrine  is  about  to  be  pub- 
licly attacked.    If  it  is,  it  mu.^l  be  publicly  defended." 

He  intended  to  print  the  remarks  which  he 
had  written  in  reply  to  Eralyn's  work,  and  even 
drew  up  Proposals  to  publish ;  but  scarcely  had 
that  work  appeared,  when  it  was  followed  by  a 
reprint  of  President  Burr's  Answer  to  it,  which 
led  him  to  desist  from  his  purpose. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1790,  happening  in  a 
bookstore  in  Boston,  he  took  up  a  little  Tract 
entitled  "  Divine  and*  Moral  Songs,  revised  and 
altered,  so  as  to  render  them  of  general  use ;  to 
which  are  added  a  Short  Catechism  and  Pravers, 
by  Isaac  Watts,  D.  D."  On  casting  his  eye 
over  the  book,  he  quickly  discovered  that  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity,  and  other  kindred  doctrines  which 
were  prominent  in  the  original  work,  had  been 
expunged  from  this  edition.  Whereupon  he  pub- 
lished, in  the  Boston  Centinel  of  the  17th  of 
November,  a  communication  headed  "  Beware  of 
Counterfeits,"  and  signed  **  A  Friend  to  Honesty,'* 
in  which  he  showed  precisely  what  the  altera- 
tions were,  and  ended  with  these  words : 

"  If  this  should  pass  upon  the  public  unnoticed,  from  altering 
children's  books,  more  important  a'  "-ations  might  be  under- 


UNITARIAN  CONTROVERSY. 


55 


taken,  nntil,  grown  bold  in  the  business,  even  the  sacred  truths 
of  the  Holy  Bible  may  be  in  danger." 

The  Reviser's  name  not  being  given  on  the 
title  page,  the  printer  felt  called  upon  to  disavow- 
any  complicity  in  the  alterations,  and  the  rather 
as  he  had  then  in  press  a  quarto  edition  of  the 
Bible, — an  enterprise  demanding  a  large  capital, 
and  attended  with  risk  of  failure.  He  hastened 
to  write  to  the  Editor  of  the  Centinel  (19  Novem- 
ber) as  follows : 

*•  Watts'  Divine  Songs  that  I  printed  was  verbatim  from  an 
English  copy.  I  printed  it  at  the  request  of  several  gentlemen 
in  Boston,  of  liberal  principles — Parson  Freeman  was  one,  and 
he  had  the  copy  sent  him  from  London.  I  had  consequently 
nothing  to  do  with  the  alterations,  but  acted  merely  as  a  Printer, 
willing  to  oblige  in  my  professional  line  "  all  parties ;"  and 
then  had  and  still  have  Watts'  Original  Divine  Songs  for 
sale,  and  have  printed  two  editions  of  them.  Others  beside 
myself  have  reprinted  the  one  Mr.  'Friend  to  Honesty'  com. 
plains  of.  I  send  you  a  copy,  and  wish  you  to  read  the 
Reviser's  candid  advertisement"  [he  refers  to  the  title  page 
above  quoted.]  "  Now,  Sir,  I  blame  not  your  correspondent  for 
making  his  remarks  on  the  Reviser.  I  know  not  but  many  of 
his  observations  are  just;  and  had  he  omitted  the  last  sentence 
in  his  piece,  I  should  not  have  felt  myself  injured.  *  ♦  • 
I  am  now  struggling  under  many  difficulties  to  bring  out  this 
great  and  heavy  work, — (the  Quarto  Bible.)  »  ♦  *  For 
your  correspondent,  therefore,  while  the  work  is  in  press,  to 
suggest,  because  he  was  nettled  that  somebody  had  made  a 
few  alterations  in  Watts'  Songs,  that  the  like  would  be  made 
in  my  edition  of  the  Bible,  was  gratifying  his  revenge  with  a 
witness,  and  that  on  the  wrong  person.  *  •  •  j\Iy  Bible 
is  critically  inspected,  at  my  request,  by  several  clergymen  in 
the  vicinity,  of  opposite  sentiments,  and  whose  names,  at  a 
proper  time,  will  be  made  public.** 


56 


UXITARLLH  OOXTROVEEST. 


In  a  subsequent  article  the  "  Friend  to  Hon- 
esty "  absolves  the  printer  from  all  blame. 

In  the  summer  of  1791,  he  had  the  pleasure  of 
receiving  a  visit  from  his  friend,  the  Rev.  Ashbel 
Green,  of  Philadelphia,  afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Green,  who  became  President  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege. They  had  first  known  each  other  at  the 
South  in  178G,  and  shortly  after  Mr.  Green's  set- 
tlement in  1787  they  met  again  in  Philadelphia; 
and  a  mutual  friendship  was  thus  early  formed, 
which  proved  a  source  of  rich  eujoyment  to  both 
of  them.  The  object  of  Mr.  Green's  journey  to 
New  England  at  this  time  was  to  invigorate  his 
health.  He  arrived  in  Charlestown  the  28th  of 
June,  and  for  three  weeks  was  the  guest  of  his 
friend,  wlio  joined  him  with  a  party  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  in  a  sailing  excursion  among  the 
islands  of  Boston  harbor  to  inhale  the  sea 
breezes ;  accompanied  him  to  Salem,  Ipswich, 
Newburyport  and  Portsmouth;  introduced  him 
to  his  distinguished  acquaintance  among  the 
clergy  and  laity,  and  attended  with  him  the 
Commencement  exercises  at  Harvard  Collence. 

As  the  result  of  his  observation  upon  the 
character  and  conduct  of  his  friend  during  this 
visit,  Mr.  Green  makes  the  followiug  record  in 
his  autobiography : 

"  I  feel  myself  strongly  attached  to  this  worthy  man ;  and 
he  says  that  my  coming  has  served  to  encourage  him,  and 
strengthen  him  in  his  sentiments  and  preaching.  lie  is  op- 
posed to  the  prevailing  opinions  of  Arianbm  and  ArminianLsm, 
and  to  indifference  in  religion.    Tet  he  acts  with  suitahle 


UNITAIU.VN  COXTROVEKSY. 


57 


meekness  and  with  what  I  think  is  a  true  Christian  spirit ;  that 
is,  he  is  firm  and  fencnt,  and  yet  not  bitter  or  censorious.  He 
appears  to  be  a  man  of  great  humility,  of  a  warm  heart,  a  good 
understanding  and  considerable  improvement." 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  Dr.  Morse  earlj 
formed  the  purpose  of  doing  his  utmost  to  cfTect 
an  import.mt  change  in  the  ecclesiastical  condi- 
tion of  Massachusetts — first,  by  separating  the 
Unitarians  from  the  Orthodox,  and  then,  by  draw- 
ing the  Orthodox  of  different  shades  into  more 
intimate  relations.  Both  these  objects  were  ulti- 
mately effected,  and  more,  probably,  through  the 
influence  of  Dr.  Morse  than  that  of  any  other 
man. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  addressed 
by  Dr.  Morse  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kemp,  of  Scotland 
in  October,  1804,  contains  his  views  of  the  pre- 
vailing or  rather  the  divided  type  of  religious 
opinion,  that  existed  among  the  clergy  of  Massa- 
chusetts at  that  period : 

"  In  the  Eastern  part  of  Massachusetts  there  remain  a  few 
elderly  ministers,  respectable  for  their  understanding  and 
character,  who  are  Arminians  upon  the  old,  scheme  of  Ar- 
niinius,  Tillotson,  &c.,  and  a  considerable  body  of  younger 
men,  also  of  good  abilities  and  character,  who  may  be  denomi- 
nated Arians,  and  who,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  embrace  in 
their  scheme  the  doctrines  of  Arminius  and  the  late  Dr. 
Chauncy.  These  are  chiefly  in  Boston  and  its  neighbourhood. 
There  are  a  few  Socinians,  but  not  I  apprehend  ten  in  all  New 
England  among  the  clergy, — not  half  that  number  avowedly. 
Modern  Arminianism  and  the  still  more  liberal  views  of  Chris- 
tianity, entertained  by  Arians,  Universalists  and  Socinians, 
have  been  on  the  increase  here  ever  since  the  close  of  the 
Kevolutionary  War,  till  within  a  year  or  two,  when  they  appa* 


58 


UNITABIAN  OONTROVEBSY. 


rentlj  became  stationary,  and  I  conceive  are  now  retrograde." 
It  appears,  however,  that  his  mind  underwent  a  change  on  this 
subject  shortly  after ;  for  in  February,  1805,  he  writes, — 
"  There  is  danger  of  our  clergy  as  a  Body  becoming  Arian  and 
Arminian ;  for  these  sentiments  are  gaining  ground  among  us 
to  an  alarming  degree." 

At  this  time  there  were  removed  by  death  in 
three  successive  years  three  members  of  the 
Government  of  Harvard  College — Judge  Samuel 
Phillips,  of  the  Board  of  Overseers,  in  1802  ;  Dr. 
Tappan,  Professor  of  Divinity,  in  1803;  and  Dr. 
Willard,  President  of  the  College,  in  1804.  It 
was  the  vacating  of  the  Theological  Professorship 
that  led  to  the  adoption  of  measures,  in  opposi- 
tion to  which  Dr.  Morse  exerted  his  full  influ- 
ence. The  power  of  appointing  the  members  of 
the  College  Faculty  is  vested  in  the  Corporation — 
a  Body  consisting  then  of  six  members,  their  ac- 
tion being  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Board 
of  Overseers ;  which  was  made  up  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Senate  ex-officio,  and  of  the  Congre- 
gational ministers  in  several  towns  adjacent  to 
Cambridge.  It  became  apparent,  soon  after  Dr. 
Tappan's  death,  that  the  filling  of  the  vacant 
chair  was  to  be  the  result  of  a  struggle  of  par- 
ties ;  and  while  the  orthodox  maintained  that 
none  but  a  Calvinist  was  eligible  in  consistency 
with  the  original  terms  of  the  Professorship,  the 
liberal  party,  on  the  other  hand,  thought  that 
little  importance  should  be  attached  to  the  doc- 
trinal opinions  of  the  candidate.  After  the  sub- 
ject had  been  discussed  for  a  long  time  in  social 
circles  and  in  the  newspapers,  the  first  meeting 


UXTTARIAX  CONTROVERSY. 


59 


of  the  Corporation  was  held,  December  3,  1804, 
to  fill  the  vacant  Professorship;  then  meetings 
followed  successively  on  the  7th,  12tli,  15th  and 
2Gth  of  December,  but  still  the  vacancy  was  not 
filled.  At  the  repeated  ballotings,  the  votes 
were  for  a  while  equally  divided  between  two 
candidates, — the  Rev.  Jesse  Appleton,  afterwards 
President  of  Bowdoin  College,  nominated  by  the 
Ortliodox  party,  and  the  Rev.  Henry  Ware,  of 
Ilingham,  nominated  by  the  Liberal  party.  At 
length,  by  the  change  of  a  single  vote,  on  the 
7th  of  February,  Mr.  Ware  was  chosen. 

On  Thursday,  the  14th  of  February,  1805,  the 
Board  of  Overseers  met,  and,  fifiy-six  members 
beinjT  present,  by  a  vote  of  thirty-three  to  twenty- 
three,  they  sanctioned  the  choice  of  the  Corpora- 
tion. In  the  debate  which  had  preceded  the 
vote,  Dr.  Morse  had  taken  a.  leading  part,  sup- 
ported by  Senator  Titcomb  and  Dr.  Holmes. 
The  next  month  he  published  his  celebrated 
pamphlet,  entitled  "The  True  Reasons  on  which 
the  Election  of  a  HoUis  Professor  of  Divinity  in 
Harvard  College  was  opposed  at  the  Board  of 
Overseers,  14  February,  1805," — a  pamphlet  of 
twenty-eight  pages,  octavo. 

In  the  Preface  to  this  pamphlet  he  says : 

"  The  following  publication,  for  which  some  may  think  an 
apology  necessary,  is  made  with  a  view  to  correct  certain  mis- 
representations which  have  gone  abroad  relative  to  the  late 
election  of  a  Hollis  Professor  of  Divinity ;  to  communicate 
some  material  information  concerning  the  true  design  of  the 
pious  Mr.  Hollis  in  establishing  this  Professorship,  ^hich  the 


6a 


UNITARIAN  OONTBOVEB8T. 


writer  was  not  permitted  to  lay  before  the  Board  of  Overseers, 
when  the  above  mentioned  election  was  under  consideration ; 
and  to  acquaint  the  citizens  of  the  Commonwealth,  who  have 
an  interest  in  this  ancient  and  respectable  seat  of  science,  and 
a  claim  to  its  privileges,  with  the  real  ground  of  the  existing 
controversy." 

In  opening,  be  refers  to  the  Orthodox  founda- 
tion of  Harvard  College,  and  to  the  motto  on  the 
College  seal, — "  Christo  et  Ecclesle.*'  For  proof 
that  Mr.  Hollis  was  a  thorough  Calvinist,  he 
refers  to  his  letters  to  Dr.  Colman,  in  which  he 
speaks  of  "  corrupt  nature  "  as  the  root  of  sin," 
ascribes  the  graces  which  constitute  his  Christian 
character  to  *'  rich,  free,  sovereign  and  electing 
love  states  that  bis  hope  of  justification  and 
acceptance  before  God  rested  not  in  any  degree 
on  his  numerous  and  useful  chirities,  but  '  onlj'^ 
on  the  obedience,  active  and  passive,  of  the  Lamb 
of  God,  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,'  through 
faith  in  whom  he  expected  *  peace  with  God,  the 
continued  influences  of  his  Spirit,  and  complete 
redemption ; '  and  lastly,  that  he  adores  *'  the 
economy  of  the  Divine  Three  in  the  revealed 
work  of  our  salvation."  From  these  quotations 
Dr.  Morse  supposes  there  is  ample  evidence  that 
Mr.  Hollis  accepted  the  system  of  Faith  com- 
monly denominated  Calvinistic. 

He  next  takes  the  position  that  Mr.  Hollis 
intended  that  his  Professor  should  be  a  Calvinist, 
and  justifies  it  by  the  following  considerations: 
1st.  That  in  article  XI  of  the  statutes  accompa- 
nying his  Bequest,  it  is  provided,  *•  that  the 
person  chosen  from  time  to  time  to  be  a  Profes- 


UNITARIAN  COXTROV'ERSV. 


61 


sor  be  a  man  of  solid  learning];  in  Divinity,  of 
sound  or  orthodox  principles,  one  who  is  well 
gifted  to  teach,  of  a  sober  .and  pious  life  and  of  a 
irrave  conversation."  As  to  the  meaninjc  of  the 
words  "  sound  or  orthodox"  here  used,  he  appeals 
to  history  for  the  evidence  that  they  have  been 
considered  as  descriptive  of  Calvinism,  and  have 
even  been  applied  to  it  reproachfully ;  and  further 
he  maintains  that  it  would  be  absurd  to  suppose 
that  Mr.  Ilollis,  being  himself  a  Calvinist,  could 
moan,  by  sound  or  orthodox  principles,  the  tenets 
of  Arminius,  Arius  or  Socinus.  2dly.  That  the 
character  and  principles  of  the  first  incumbent  of 
the  Professor's  chair,  Dr.  Wigglesworth,  forbade 
the  supposition  that  the  Professor  should  be  any 
other  than  a  Calvinist.  Previous  to  his  election, 
23d  January,  1722,  "the  Corporation  put  such 
questions  to  Dr.  Wig^jlesworth,"  (say  the  Records 
of  that  Body,)  "as,  by  his  answers,  gave  theiu 
satisfaction  about  the  soundness  and  orthodoxy 
of  his  principles  in  Divinity'."  odly.  That  Mr. 
lloUis  manifested  a  solicitude  lest  his  bequests  to 
the  College,  those  particularly  for  the  support  of 
a  Professor  of  Divinity,  should  be  perverted  to 
other  purposes  than  were  intended  by  him.  In 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Colman,  of  the  14th  of  January, 
1723,  he  says : 

I  was  displeased  to  hear  that  another  person  of  your  Board 
should  saj  to  thin  effect,  on  reading  my  orders,  that  when  Mr. 
Ilollis  was  dead,  they  would  make  new  orders  for  him." 

The  pamphlet  then  proceeds  to  show  that  Mr* 
Ilollis  took  measures  to  relieve  his  solicitude  on 
6 


62  UNITARIAN  CONTEOVERSr. 


this  subject.  In  a  letter  of  the  18th  of  March 
following,  he  says : 

"  It  is  the  unanimous  advice  of  Governor  Shute, 
Lords  Barrington  and  Bendick,  Mr.  Neal  and  Mr. 
Hunt,  that  I  should  insist  on  it,  to  have  such  an 
obligation  as  strong  as  may  be,  according  to  your 
promise  in  former  letters  I  should  have,  that, 
in  all  times  coming,  the  Corporation  will  perform 
my  trust  in  the  manner  appointed  in  my  orders, 
and  not  divert  the  moneys  devoted,  to  any  other 
uses."  This  bond,  accordingly,  was  given  by  the 
Corporation,  the  23d  of  September,  1723,  and 
binds  "  the  said  President  and  Fellows  of  Harvard 
College  and  their  successors  unto  the  faithful  dis- 
charge of  the  trust  reposed  in  them,  and  to  the 
inviolable  observance  of  the  Statutes  and  Orders 
aforesaid."  Three  years  later,  10th  October, 
1726,  he  writes  thus  to  Dr.  Colman: 

"I  desire  you,  Sir,  to  give  me  a  particular  account  of  my 
Professor  of  Divinity,  how  he  performs  agreeably  to  my  written 
orders,  and  wherein  he  is  wanting  in  complying  with  them." 

The  last  ten  pages  of  the  pamphlet  exhibit 
the  grounds  of  opposition,  in  the  Board  of  Over- 
seers, to  Mr.  Ware's  election :  1st,  Because  no 
inquiry  had  been  made,  into  the  candidate's 
religious  opinions,  as  required  by  the  Statutes  of 
the  Founder;  and  2dly,  Because  his  writings, 
especially  his  Catechism,  from  which  quotations 
were  made  in  proof,  showed  that  he  was  not  a 
Calvinist. 

The  final  vote  is  recorded,  and  then  the 
pamphlet  concludes  thus : 


UNITARIAN  CONTUOVEI^SY. 


G3 


*'  Thus  was  decided  a  question  of  incalculable  consequence 
to  the  future  prosperity,  and  usefulness  of  the  University. 
We  have  seen  for  what  objects,  and  with  what  care,  this  literary 
institution  was  originally  founded.  The  Charter  secures  to  the 
benefactors,  the  appropriate  use  of  their  bequests.  So  docs  the 
Constitution  of  the  Commonwealth,  which  contains  the  follow- 
ing clause :  *  It  is  declared  that  all  the  gifts,  grants,  devises, 
legacies  and  convej'anccs,  are  hereby  forever  confirmed  unto 
the  President  and  Fellows  of  Harvard  College,  and  to  their 
successors,  in  the  capacity  aforesaid,  according  to  the  true  intent 
and  meaning  of  the  donor  or  donors,  of  the  grantor  or  grantors, 
devisor  or  devisors.' 

"  We  have  seen  the  singular  anxiety  and  caution  of  Mr. 
HoUis,  by  his  letters  and  by  a  bond  to  secure  the  object  of  his 
foundation,  and  to  guard  his  Professorship  against  error  and 
innovation  in  all  future  time.  Now,  if  barriers  so  sacred  can 
be  removed,  what  guard  can  be  devised  which  can  secure  anj 
bequest  against  violation?  What  assurance  can  any  well  dis- 
posed persons  in  future  have,  that  any  donations  they  may  wish 
to  make  to  Harvard  College,  will  be  applied  to  their  objects 
even  one  century  ?  How  this  will  affect  future  benefactions  it 
is  easy  to  predict.  AVhat  effect  this  change  in  the  religious 
character  of  the  Professorship  and  of  the  University  will  gradu- 
ally and  ultimately  produce  in  the  state  of  our  churches,  and 
on  the  moral  and  religious  character  of  our  citizens,  cannol 
with  so  much  certainty  be  foreseen.  In  respect  to  New  Eng- 
land it  is  an  untried  experiment.  God  forbid  that  this  change 
should  be  injurious  and  ruinous ;  that,  in  consequence,  the  faith 
of  our  churches  should  becom6  less  pure,  their  discipline  less 
strict,  the  standard  of  Christian  morality  lowered,  the  difference 
lessened  between  those  who  professedly  serve  God  and  those 
who  avowedly  serve  Him  not,  till  at  length  the  spirit  and  power 
of  our  religion  shall  have  evaporated,  and  its  very  forms  be 
abolished. 

"  For  Christ  and  the  Chcrch  was  this  ancient  College 
founded  by  men  whom  we  delight  to  call  our  Fathers;  for 
Christ  and  the  Church  has  it  hitherto  been  cherished, 
Instructed  and  governed  by  men  of  like  Christian  principles 


64 


UXTTARIAN  CONTROV£RSY. 


and  spirit ;  for  Christ  and  the  Church.  Oh  may  the  God  of 
our  Fathers,  who  still  lives  and  reigns,  in  mercy  preserve  it,  so 
long  as  the  sun  and  the  moon  shall  endure !" 

This  pamphlet,  acknowledged  on  all  hiinds  to 
be  written  with  great  spirit  and  vigour,  was 
received  on  the  one  side  with  marked  tokens  of 
approbation,  and  on  the  other  with  unqualified 
dissatisfaction  and  disgust.  Dr.  Morse  himself 
thus  refers  to  it  ten  years  after  it  was  published: 

"  It  was  then,  and  has  been  ever  since,  considered  by  one 
class  of  people  as  my  unpardonable  oflFence,  and  by  another 
class  as  the  best  thing  I  ever  did.  One  of  the  former  party  is 
said  to  have  declared,  soon  after  its  publication,  that  it  was  so 
bad  a  thing  that  it  would  more  than  counterbalance  all  the 
good  I  had  done  or  should  do  if  I  lived  ever  so  long ;  and  one 
of  the  other  party  said,  if  I  had  never  done  any  good  before  I 
made  that  publication  nor  should  do  any  afterward,  that  single 
deed  would  of  itself  produce  effects  of  sufficient  importance  and 
utility  to  mankind  to  be  worth  living  for." 

Shortly  after  this  pamphlet  made  its  appear- 
ance. Dr.  Morse  received  letters  from  various 
distinguished  clergymen  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  among  whom  were  Dr.  Rodgers  and  Dr. 
Miller  of  New  York,  and  Dr.  William  Linn,  who 
had  shortly  before  left  his  charge  in  New  York, 
and  was  then  a  resident  of  Albany,  —  highly 
approving  the  stand  which  he  had  taken  in 
defence  of  the  accredited  Orthodoxy,  and  bidding 
him  God-speed  in  any  other  efforts  he  might 
make  in  the  same  direction.  Meanwhile  the 
•  Monthly  Anthology,  a  periodical  which  had  been 
established  in  Boston,  under  Unitarian  auspices, 
the  year  before,  reviewed  the  pamphlet  with 


ESTABLISH EXT  OF  TIIE  rANOPLIST. 


65 


some  degree  of  severity,  taking  the  ground  that 
when  Mr.  Hollis  used  the  words  "  sound  and 
orthodox"  in  reference  to  his  Professor,  he  did  not 
mean  to  make  himself  the  standard  of  Orthodoxy, 
but  to  leave  the  electors  with  the  largest  liberty 
to  act  in  accordance  with  their  own  convictions. 
Dr.  Morse  replied  to  this  article  in  the  next 
number  of  the  Anthology,  boldly  vindicating  the 
position  he  had  taken,  and  adding  some  new 
statements  as  corroborative  of  what  he  had  said 
before.  The  Reviewer  follows  Dr.  Morse's  answer 
with  about  five  pages  of  criticism,  which  shows 
at  least  that  the  two  parties  were  not  getting  any 
nearer  together. 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  PANOPLIST. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  a  project  was  con- 
ceived by  Dr.  Morse  that  had  its  issue  in  the 
establishment  of  that  well  known  periodical,  the 
Panoplist.  Of  the  origin  and  design  of  this  work 
he  gives  the  following  account  in  a  letter  to  the 
Rev.  George  Burder,  of  London,  of  June  1,  1805: 

'*  Arrainianism,  blended  with  Unitarianisni,  has  been  gradu- 
ally increasing  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity  for  a  number  of  years 
past,  till  within  a  few  months  their  advocates  have  boldly  taken 
their  ground,  and  arc  fast  assuming  the  form  of  a  distinct  sect. 
Some  of  the  Ilopkinsians,  who  have  become  also  a  sect,  seem 
inclined  to  vibrate  to  the  opposite  extreme.  The  supporters 
of  the  Panoplist  take  a  middle  ground,  such,  we  conceive,  as 
the  Editors  of  your  Evangelical  Magazine  occupy.  We  hope 
for  an  amicable  coalescence,  at  a  future  time,  with  the  great 
Body  of  Hopkinsians,  who  are  valuable  men.  We  shall  have 
a  struggle,  I  expect,  in  order  to  maintain  our  ground.  But  I 
hope  that  we  shall  be  enabled  to  do  it,  having,  as  I  firmly 


66 


ESTAnUSIIMElNT  OF  THE  PANOPLIST. 


believe.  Truth  and  its  Divine  Author  on  our  side.  The  present 
crisis  iias  been  hastened  by  the  publication  of  a  pamphlet  which 
I  send  you,  entitled, — '  The  True  Reasons,'  &c.,  which  I  pub- 
lished in  my  own  defence,  as  you  will  perceive." 

The  Prospectus  of  the  Panoplist,  which  appeared 
about  the  Isst  of  April,  was  viewed  with  conside- 
rable jealousy  by  both  the  Moderate  Calvinists 
and  the  Ilopkiusians ;  as  the  work  did  not  promise 
to  be  in  full  sympathy  with  either  party,  though 
it  was  designed  to  occupy  ground  from  which  it 
was  hoped  it  might  conciliate  both.  One  very 
prominent  Ilopkinsian  clergyman  wrote  a  letter 
to  Dr.  Morse,  objecting  to  the  proposed  publica 
tion,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  interfere  with  the 
Massachusetts  Missionary  Magazine,  a  monthly 
periodical,  which  had  then  been  published  under 
Hopkinsian  auspices  for  about  two  years ;  while 
another  younger  but  not  less  eminent  clergyman 
of  the  same  school  addressed  a  letter  to  the  vene- 
rable man  whose  apprehensions  were  thus  excited, 
designed  to  convince  him  that  the  interests  of 
Hopkinsianism  Avere  not  jeoparded  by  the  pro- 
posed measure,  and  that  all  opposition  to  it  would 
not  only  subserve  no  good  purpose  but  be  posi- 
tively injurious.  Meanwhile  several  distinguished 
clergymen  from  ditterent  parts  of  the  country 
were  communicating  to  Dr.  Morse  their  cordial 
sympathy  in  the  enterprise  and  their  best  wishes 
for  its  success.  President  Dwight,  of  Yale  Col- 
lege, writes  to  him,  on  the  6th  of  July,  as  follows : 

**  I  enter  into  all  your  feelings  and  interests,  as  they  are 
mentioned  in  your  letters.  I  am  disappointed  in  two  things 
which  you  mention :  the  union  of  the  Armiuiaus  with  the  Unita- 


ESTABLISllilENT  OF  TIIE  PANOrLIST. 


67 


rians,  and  the  separation  of  the  Ilopkinsians  from  the  Old 
Calvinists,  that  is,  in  the  recent  controversy.  Both  (the  Armi- 
nians  and  the  Hopkinsians)  arc  unwise ;  for  the  fjucstion  con« 
cerning  the  Trinity  interests  them  both  equally  with  the  Old 
Calvinists,  so  far  as  they  hold  their  professed  doctrines. 

"  What  assistance  can  or  will  be  furnished  in  this  State  (Con- 
necticut) I  cannot  determine.  There  are  men  enough  and 
talents  enou^^h.  Had  I  eyes,  3-ou  would  find  me  at  least  embark- 
ing heartily  in  the  design,  and  forwarding  it  with  something 
beside  mere  good  wishes.  You  will  find  occasion  for  all  your 
prudence  and  patience ;  but,  when  the  war  is  fairly  begun,  I 
expect  soldiers  will  enlist." 

Before  the  first  Number  of  the  work  was  pub- 
lished, Mr.  Josiah  Salisbury,  (afterwards  his 
brotlier-in-law),  in  whom  he  found  an  efhcient 
co-adjutor  in  various  religious  enterprises,  sug- 
gested to  him  that  the  pecuniary  profits  of  the 
work,  when  any  should  be  realized,  should  be 
devoted  to  some  charitable  use.  To  this  Dr. 
Morse  cordially  assented  ;  and  such  a  purpose  was 
accordingly  announced  in  the  Preface,  and  was 
adhered  to  during  the  wliole  term  of  his  proprie- 
torship of  the  Magazine. 

The  first  Number  of  the  Panoplist  appeared  in 
June,  1805;  and  for  six  months  he  was  not  only 
its  responsible  editor  but  publisher  also.  Then, 
in  December,  by  transferring  the  printing  to 
Boston,  he  was  relieved  of  much  care,  and  the 
work  was  more  promptly  printed  and  distributed. 
But  not  till  February,  1808,  did  he  succeed  in 
engaging  a  man  to  publish  it  at  his  own  expense 
and  risk.  During  the  intervening  period  of  more 
than  two  and  a  half  years,  the  whole  of  this  labour 


68 


ESTABLISHMENT  OP  THE  PAJfOPLIST. 


was  devolved  upon  him,  superadded  to  all  his 
other  public  and  private  duties. 

It  was  early  a  favourite  idea  with  him  to  secure 
the  leading  British  periodicals  in  aid  of  his  own 
enterprise ;  and,  in  accomplishing  this,  he  re- 
ceived from  several  eminent  men  in  England 
letters,  warmly  approving  his  object,  and  encour- 
aging him  to  proceed.  From  the  Rev.  George 
Burder  he  received  the  London  Evangelical 
Magazine,  and  the  London  Christian  Observer  was 
sent  to  him  by  its  Editor,  the  justly  renowned 
Zachary  Macaulay.  In  introducing  this  latter 
gentleman  to  him,  Mr.  Wilberforce  says : 

"  I  return  you  thanks  for  your  new  periodical  publication, 
which  I  have  read  over  with  pleasure,  and  I  trust  it  will  be 
productive  of  that  best  species  of  good  which  you  have  in  view 
in  instituting  it.  In  times  like  these  let  not  Christians  be 
lukewarm  or  inactive  in  their  Master's  service,  but  be  ever 
abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  in  every  good  word  and 
work,  vary  ing  their  efforts  as  circumstances  may  require,  and 
judiciously  adapting  them  to  the  various  exigencies  which  ren* 
dcr  them  necessary. 

1  coniniunieatod  your  letter  to  the  Editor  of  the  Christian 
Observer,  with  whom  I  have  the  pleasure  to  be  well  acquainted. 
He  will  no  doubt  write  to  you  himself;  though,  being  extremely 
overworked,  like  most  persons  in  a  populous  communit}-,  who 
are  desirous  of  doing  some  good  in  the  world,  he  may  have 
been  prevented  from  taking  up  his  pen  for  that  purpose  so  soon 
as  he  otherwise  would  have  done.  Yet,  as  whenever  he  does 
write  or  may  have  written,  there  can  be  nothing  said  personally 
of  himself,  I  will  state  what  I  conceive  you  may  wish  to  know, 
that  the  opinion  which,  from  the  tenor  of  the  Christian  Observer, 
you  have  formed  of  him,  is  not  erroneous  He  is  a  man  of 
very  superior  good  sense,  considerable  knowledge,  and  thorough 
practical  and  orthodox  Christian  principles,  a  man  also  of 


ESTABLISHJIENT  OF  TIIE  l^VNOPLIST. 


G9 


prudence,  with  whom,  therefore,  you  may  carry  on  any  inter- 
course without  anxiety  or  reserve." 

From  Mr.  Macaulay  he  received  the  following 
letter,  dated  Sierra  Leone  House,  London,  28th 
November,  1805 : 

•*  Mr.  Wilberforce  lately  put  into  my  hands  a  letter  from 
you,  expressive  of  a  wish  to  be  acquainted  with  the  Editor  of 
the  Christian  Observer.  That  gentleman  happens  to  be  known 
to  Mr.  Wilberforce  and  a  few  other  intimate  friends,  but  for 
reasons  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  explain,  is  desirous  to  lie 
concealed  from  the  public.  Ilis  secret,  however,  in  conse- 
quence of  Mr.  AVilberforce's  representations,  he  feels  no  objec- 
tion to  intrust  to  your  keeping,  and  when  you  wish  to  honour 
him  with  any  communication,  you  may  address  it  to  me  as 
above,  carefully  avoiding  any  expression  on  the  cover  of  the 
letter  which  might  connect  me  with  the  Christian  Observer. 

"  I  feel  no  small  satisfaction  in  the  establishment  of  such  a 
work  as  the  Panoplist,  and  that  the  Conductors  of  it  should  have 
80  favourably  noticed  the  Christian  Observer.  I  shall  be  very 
happy  to  forward  their  pious  views  in  any  manner  which  may 
be  in  ray  power.  ...  I  send  a  set  (of  the  Christian  Observer) 
for  the  present  year,  which  I  beg  j-our  acceptance  of.  I  have 
consulted  with  a  bookseller  who  is  engaged  in  the  American 
trade  respecting  the  best  mode  of  your  being  regularly  supplied 
with  copies  of  the  works  you  require." 

The  Panoplist,  notwithstanding  the  significance 
of  its  name,  assumed  scarcely  more  of  a  contro- 
versial type  than  the  Christian  Observer.  In  its 
Preface  it  borrows  the  following  language  of  the 
Editors  of  the  Eclectic  Review  : 

While  we  decline  to  sacrifice  the  most  certain  and  important 
truths  to  a  spurious  and  affected  moderation,  we  wish  to  evince 
a  genuine  and  universal  candour  respecting  subjects  on  which 
the  best  and  the  wisest  of  mankind  are  divided.    The  temper 


70 


ESTABUSHMEXT  OF  THE  PAXOPUST. 


and  argument,  the  composition  and  expression,  of  the  works 
they  review,  will  be  calmly  upprecis^ted,  without  regard  to  the 
party  from  which  they  originate." 

How  favourably  the  work  was  received  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  of  the  third  Number 
(that  for  August)  two  thousand  copies  were 
printed ;  which  was  more  than  that  of  any  of  its 
older  contemporary  periodicals. 

The  Massachusetts  Missionary  Magazine,  al- 
ready referred  to  as  the  organ  of  the  Hopkinsian 
party,  went  on  as  usual,  after  the  establishment 
of  the  Panoplist;  and  Mr.  Woods  and  Mr.  Parish 
promised  to  contribute  to  tlie  latter,  wliile  they 
still  continued  to  lend  their  aid  to  the  former. 
But  the  Panoplist  being  designed  to  promote,  as 
its  projector  wrote  to  Mr.  Burder,  *'  an  amicable 
coalescence  with  the  great  body  of  Hopkinsians,** 
it  soon  became  evident  that  the  union  of  the  two 
periodicals  was  desirable.  This,  however,  could 
not  be  immediately  etfected ;  for,  contemporane- 
ous with  this  enterprise,  and  to  some  extent 
complicated  with  it,  was  the  effort  to  unite  the 
two  parties  in  the  General  Association,  and  in 
the  establishment  of  the  Andover  Theological 
Seminary.  After  some  unsuccessful  negotiations 
in  respect  to  a  union  of  the  two  publications,  the 
desired  object  was  finally  accomplished  in  the 
spring  of  1808;  and  the  Panoplist  commenced 
its  fourth  volume,  in  June  of  that  3'^ear,  under  the 
title  of  "  The  Panoplist  and  Missionary  Magazine 
united."  The  two  prominent  clergymen  of  the 
Hopkinsian  school,  whose  hesitation  as  to  the 


ESTABLISnMENT  OF  THE  PANOPLIST. 


71 


expediency  of  the  measure  delayed  the  union, 
were  Dr.  Samuel  Spring  and  Dr.  Emmons. 

During  the  three  years  in  which  the  Panoplist 
had  been  in  existence,  Dr.  Morse  had  been  both 
its  editor  and  proprietor.  But  he  now  made 
arrangements  with  a  bookselling  house  in  Boston 
to  publish  tlie  work  on  their  own  account.  He 
was  not  willing,  however,  to  relinquish  his 
editorial  responsibilities,  until  he  could  be  sure 
that  they  would  pass  into  competent  hands. 
Though  he  had  succeeded  in  accomplishing  the 
anion  of  the  various  shades  of  Orthodoxy,  which 
*vas  a  chief  end  of  the  publication,  3'et  to  effect 
the  wider  circulation  of  the  work,  and  to  secure 
its  permanent  popularity  and  usefulness,  he  was 
deeply  sensible  required  an  editor  of  no  ordinary 
ability ;  and  to  obtain  such  an  one  became  with 
him  an  object  of  no  small  interest.  Accordingly, 
in  the  fflll  of  1809,  when  his  health  had  become 
so  much  impaired  as  to  demand  a  suspension  of 
his  labours,  and  to  suggest  the  expediency  of  his 
passing  the  following  winter  in  a  milder  climate, 
he  set  out  on  a  journey  to  the  South,  and  on  his 
way  stopped  at  New  Haven  for  the  purpose  of 
offering  the  editorship  to  Jeremiah  Evarts  Esq., 
of  that  city,  who  had  been  a  liberal  contributor 
to  the  work,  from  its  commencement.  The 
result  of  his  application  was  that  Mr.  Evarts, 
without  actually  consenting  to  become  the  Edi- 
tor, encouraged  him  to  hope  for  such  a  result ; 
and  the  interview  seems  to  have  confirmed  Dr. 
Morse  in  the  high  opinion  which  he  had  previ- 


72         GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OP  MASSACHUSETTS. 


ously  formed  of  Mr.  Evarts'  qualifications  for  such 
a  position.  After  reaching  South  Carolina,  he 
received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Evarts,  intimating 
his  intention  to  spend  some  months  in  Charles- 
town  (Mass.),  to  enahle  him  to  decide  whether 
or  not  to  accept  ultimately  the  editorship.  The 
result  was  that  he  did  accept  it,  and  discharged 
the  duties  of  tho  place  with  signal  ability  for 
upwards  of  ten  years. 

It  may  be  proper  to  introduce  in  this  connec- 
tion some  other  collateral  subjects,  bearing  more  * 
or  less  directly  upon  the  Unitarian  controversy. 

One  of  these  relates  to  the  course  of  measures 
that  bad  its  issue  in  the  formation  of  the 

GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACHC SETTS. 

The  idea  of  a  correspondence  between  the 
Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Churches  in 
the  United  States,  was  first  conceived  by  the 
General  Association  of  Connecticut. 

At  a  meeting  of  that  Body,  held  at  the  house 
of  the  Rev.  Timothy  Dwight,  D.  D.,  then  Pastor 
of  the  Church  at  Greenfield,  they  had  voted,  15th 
June  1790,  that  such  a  measure  was  expedient; 
and,  accordingly,  in  the  beginning  of  the  next 
year,  they  had  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts Convention  (as  well  as  to  the  New 
Hampshire  Convention,  the  only  other  eccle- 
siastical Body  iu  New  England,  and  to  the 
Presbyterian  General  Assembly),  in  which  they 
disavow  "  any  attempt  to  introduce  any  thing  like 
a  hierarchy,"  and  only  wish  "  to  be  instrumental 
in  subserving  the  common  cause  of  Christianity." 


GENEUAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


73 


This  letter  had  been  read  before  the  Massa- 
chusetts Convention,  at  their  next  succeeding 
annual  meeting  in  May  (1791),  and  had  no  doubt 
been  a  topic  of  conversation  between  Dr.  Morse 
and  Dr.  Green,  on  occasion  of  the  visit  already 
referred  to,  which  the  latter  had  made  at  Charles- 
town.  Hence  we  find  that,  in  the  very  first 
letter  which  Dr.  Green  addressed  to  his  friend 
after  his  return  home,  he  inquires, — "  Will  your 
clergy  unite  with  ours?"  —  that  is,  will  the 
Massachusetts  Convention  of  Congregational  min- 
isters unite  with  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  America  ? 

The  Massachusetts  Convention  had  meantime 
appointed  a  Committee,  of  which  President  Wil- 
lard  of  Harvard  College  was  Chairman,  to  make 
a  suitable  reply  to  the  Address,  and  to  receive 
any  further  communications.  The  Chairman  had 
accordingly  replied,  on  behalf  of  the  Convention, 
verbally,  to  the  Committee  of  the  General  Asso- 
ciation of  Connecticut,  whom  he  met  at  Yale 
College  Commencement  in  September ;  but  what 
the  reply  was  does  not  appear. 

Here  the  matter  rested,  so  far  as  any  inter- 
course between  the  Massachusetts  Convention 
and  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  was  con- 
cerned, for  three  years, — till  May,  1794.  The 
reason  of  this  inaction  may  be  gathered,  partly 
at  least,  from  the  following  letter  of  Dr.  Morse  to 
Dr.  Green,  dated  September  1,  1792: 

"  Till  the  caase  of  '  liberality  *  is  revived  among  you," 
(referring  to  an  unsuccessful  attempt  that  had  just  been  made 
7 


74         GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


in  Philadelphia  to  establish  a  Unitarian  preacher),  **or  we 
become  illiberal  like  you,  I  doubt  if  a  friendly  intercourse  can 
be  established  between  Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists, 
as  some  of  us  '  narrow  folks  '  strive  for.  3Ir.  Eckley  informs 
me  he  has  written  you  on  the  subject.  He  is  one  of  a  Commit 
*ee  with  myself  and  others  to  report  a  Plan  of  friendly  corrcS' 
pondence  with  our  Presbyterian  brethren.  But  we  shall  efiect 
nothing.  Too  many  will  throw  cold  water  on  every  thing  of  the 
kind.  With  the  utmost  difficulty  a  few  of  us  got  a  Committee 
appointed  to  deliberate  on  the  subject  and  report  our  opinions. 
The  Committee  compose  half  almost  of  all  the  friends  of  the 
measure.  If  all  our  plans  are  frustrated,  I  apprehend  the 
aggrieved  party  will  think  seriously'  of  forming  themselves  into 
a  separate  Body,  and  framing  an  ecclesiastical  constitution  for 
themselves,  and  one  too  which  will  admit  of  such  an  intercourse 
with  the  Presb^'terian  Church,  as  will  be  mutually  agreeable 
and  beneficial.  But  this  is  sub  rosa  for  the  present.  I  have 
hinted  the  matter  to  Dr.  Rodgers,  and  have  conversed  with  Mr. 
Miller  and  Mr.  Eckley  upon  it.  Write  me,  will  you,  on  the 
subject." 

In  May,  1794,  there  was  a  single  exchange  of 
friendly  letters  between  the  two  Bodies, — the 
Massachusetts  Convention  transmitting  the  fol- 
lowing vote : 

"  That  it  be  proposed  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  to  the  General  Association  of  Connecti- 
cut, not  to  receive  or  countenance  any  candidate  from  us  who 
does  not  bring  credentials  from  a  regular  Body  among  us 
known  to  them, — assuring  them  that  we  will  observe  the  same 
rule  with  respect  to  candidates  from  them  ;  and  informing  them 
that  we  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  them  on  all  subjects  which 
relate  to  the  interests  of  our  common  Christianity,  and  will 
communicate  every  information  upon  such  subjects  as  may  tend 
to  promote  the  interests  of  religion." 

And  the  General  Assembly  responded  cordi- 
ally to  these  proposals. 


GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  75 


In  respect  to  this  correspondence  Dr.  Green 
writes  to  Dr.  Morse,  on  the  9th  of  June,  thus : 

"  You  will  see  by  the  General  Assembly's  Letter  that  we  are 
ready  cordially  to  unite  with  you  in  the  measures  proposed.  I 
hope  the  union  will  promote  the  interests  of  religion,  as  well  a3 
a  more  extensive  intercourse  between  the  ministers  of  your 
churches  and  ours.  But  be  careful  you  do  not  send  us  men  of 
'  liberal '  sentiments,  for  our  churches  will  not  endure  them." 

Dr.  Morse  writes  to  Dr.  Green  on  the  same 
subject,  on  the  8th  of  December,  as  follows : 

"We  (the  Convention's  Committee)  have  received  from  Dr. 
Rodgcrs  the  General  Assemblj-'s  Reply  to  our  Letter,  and  will, 
I  trust,  answer  it  to  your  satisfaction.  I  cannot  but  flatter 
myself  that  the  intercourse  now  opened  between  the  General 
Assembly  and  our  Convention,  though  it  advances  slowly,  and 
on  our  part  heavily,  will  issue  in  great  good  to  our  churches 
and  to  the  cause  of  religion," 

But  the  hope  expressed  in  this  communication 
was  not  destined  to  be  realized;  and  this  ulti- 
mately led,  as  Dr.  Morse  had  anticipated,  to  the 
establishment  of  a  separate  Body. 

In  April,  1790,  a  printed  Circular  of  the  Boston 
Association,  drafted  by  Dr.  Morse,  was  sent  to 
the  ministers  of  each  Association  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  to  others  in  New  England,  which,  after 
setting  forth  the  alarming  state  of  the  country, 
calls  upon  "  each  Association  to  send  one  or  more 
delegates  to  meet  at  Boston  early  in  the  day  pre- 
ceding the  next  Annual  Election  (in  May),  to  con- 
sult on  the  general  interests  of  religion,  and  the 
means  conducive  to  its  support  and  advance- 
ment.**   Whether  or  not  such  a  meeting  was 


76         GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


actually  held  I  am  unable  to  ascertain  ;  but  there 
Avas  an  Address,  bearing  upon  the  subject,  unani- 
mously adopted  by  the  Convention,  May  30, 1799, 
and  afterwards  published  in  three  pages  folio, 
signed  by  Eli  Forbes,  Moderator,  and  J.  Morse, 
Scribe,  which  w^as,  in  some  sense,  a  response  to 
the  above  mentioned  Circular.  A.  copy  of  the 
Circular  was  sent  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Buckminster, 
of  Portsmouth,  which  drew  from  him  the  follow- 
ing reply,  dated  the  24th  of  April: 

"  I  am  pleased  to  see  the  ministers  of  Boston  awakened  to 
a  sense  of  the  dangers  which  beset  our  altars  and  shrines. 
AVhile  I  am  sorry  for  the  foreign  accession  to  the  flood  of  error 
and  infidelity,  which  has  been  long  swelling  in  this  country,  it 
appears  to  me  that  a  departure  from  pure  evangelical  principles, 
and  a  silence  respecting  the  peculiarly  humbling,  awakening  and 
affecting  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  in  the  public  teachers  of  it, 
have  contributed  their  full  ^hare  to  the  evil.  I  am  in  no  ap< 
prehension  that  you  are  included  in  this  charge.  I  have  heard 
and  seen  of  your  firmness  and  steadfastness  in  the  truth.  But  is  it 
not  too  true  that  ministers  in  general,  and  especially  our  younger 
ministers,  leave  the  humiliating  state  of  man  as  an  apostate 
creature,  his  helplessness  and  danger,  the  gloriou-s  character  of 
Christ  as  a  Divine  person,  the  special  influences  of  the  Spirit, 
the  necessity  of  regeneration,  and  the  awful  prospects  of  the 
impenitent  and  unbelieving,  out  of  their  public  discourses ; 
which  they  fill  with  philosophical  or  moral  essays  and  popular 
harangues.  I  don't  know  but  many  do  this  from  an  honest, 
though  in  my  view  very  erroneous,  apprehension  that  it  will 
serve  to  remove  the  objections  of  some  amiable  moral  characters, 
and  conciliate  them  to  the  Gospel.  But  of  what  advantage  is  it 
to  conciliate  them  to  a  Gospel  that  b  not  Ihe  Go^i>el  of  Christ, 
and  lacks  the  energies  necessary  to  make  them  holy  and  happy. 
It  appears  to  me  that  the  charges  contained  in  that  most  excel- 
lent Treatise  of  Mr.  Wilberforce,  lately  republished,  are  as 
appropriate  to  ua  as  to  the  country  for  which  he  writes.  Defects 


GEXERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF   MASSACHUSETTS.  77 


in  principle  are  more  dangerous  and  destructive  than  defects  in 
practice.  They  are  like  a  disease  at  the  heart.  A  diseased  limb 
may  be  amputated.  If  the  fountain  is  hnpure,  all  labour  upon 
the  stream  will  be  thrown  away.  The  fountain  must  be  cleansed. 
The  heart  must  be  healed.  If  ministers  are  really  concerned 
and  distressed  at  the  spread  of  infidelity  and  immorality,  and 
would  seek  a  remedy,  they  must  return  in  their  preaching  to 
tlio  terrors  of  the  law  and  the  grace  of  the  (Jospel.  They  must 
jircach  the  plain  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  with  boldness  and 
cumlour  address  to  the  consciences  of  men  the  awful  and  alluring 
motives  therein  contained  ;  and  must  represent  sin  as  it  is  most 
clearly  represented,  as  such  an  evil  as  nothing  short  of  the 
sufferings  of  a  Divine  Person  could  atone  its  guilt  or  remove 
its  malignant  effects.  Many  apprehend  such  preaching  would 
iffright  people  from  the  Gospel,  and  empty  our  churches  and 
assemblies  at  once.  Duty  is  ours,  events  are  God's.  *  To  the 
Law  and  the  Testimony.'  '  It  is  the  truth  that  sanctifies.' 
Error  may  please,  but  it  cannot  profit.  But  is  there  nothing  to 
be  done  by  us  ?  Those  who  fear  God  must  speak  often  one  to 
another  on  the  things  of  God,  and  pray  earnestly  for  tlicm- 
Bclves  and  brethren.  And  as  the  High  Priest  always  offered 
for  his  own  sins  before  he  did  for  the  sins  of  the  people,  would 
it  not  be  commendable  for  us  as  ministers  to  have  days  of 
private,  social  fast,  and  let  them  be  spent  as  days  of  real  hu- 
miliation, and  not  of  conviviality.  Might  not  Association 
meetings  be  so  improved?  After  this,  we  might,  with  greater 
confidence  and  hope  of  success,  have  more  seasons  of  public 
prayer,  following  our  devotions. with  a  fervent  spirit  of  Divine 
things  in  all  our  converse  with  the  world.  Dear  Sir,  I  should 
need  to  make  an  apology  for  the  freedom  with  which  I  have 
written,  did  it  not  afford  the  strongest  proof  of  the  entire  con- 
fidence I  have  in  you  as  a  faithful  friend  and  experienced 
servant  of  Jesns  Christ.  May  God  be  with  you  and  your 
brethren,  and  direct  you  in  the  subjects  of  your  inquiries,  the 
results  of  which  I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  to  communicate  to  me." 

The  time  at  length  came,  after  protracted 
delays  and  difficulties,  for  carrying  into  effect 
the  project  which  Dr.  Morse  and  some  of  his 


78         GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


friends  had  eo  long  had  in  view,  of  forming 
themselves  into  a  separate  Body,  under  an  eccle- 
siastical constitution  of  their  own.  The  Brook- 
field  Association,  and  seven  other  of  the  District 
Associations  of  the  State,  who  came  at  its  call, 
met  on  the  7th  of  July,  1802,  at  Northampton, 
and  formed  the  Massachusetts  General  Associa- 
tion, making  belief  in  the  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity, as  they  are  generally  expressed  in  the 
Assembly's  Shorter  Catechism,  the  basis  of  their 
union  and  fellowship. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  correspondence 
between  Dr.  Morse  and  Dr.  Lyman,  at  this  period, 
throw  considerable  light  upon  the  ecclesiastical 
struggle  which  Avas  then  going  forward. 

Dr.  Morse  writes  thus  to  Dr.  Lyman,  under 
date  of  19th  of  April,  1803  : 

"  I  approve  the  doings  of  your  meeting  of  last  July,  and 
hope  good  consequences  will  follow.  I  wish  the  ecclesiastical 
interests  of  all  the  State  may  be  united,  and  that,  for  this  purpose, 
we  may  agree  to  revise  our  ecclesiastical  constitution  or  Cam- 
bridge Platform.  I  hope  the  subject  will  be  brought  forward 
at  the  next  meeting  of  the  (Massachusetts)  Convention.  I 
want  a  long  conversation  with  you,  and  hope  you  will  come  to 
the  Election,*  and  to  my  house  the  Sabbath  preceding.  If  we 
can  preserve  union  and  avoid  disunion,  by  some  concessions  and 
sacrifices,  it  will  be  best.  And  I  hope  that,  with  due  care  and 
exertions,  this  may  be  done." 

From  this  letter  it  appears  that,  though  favoura- 

•  The  day  in  the  month  of  May  when  the  Legislature  convened,  and 
the  week  when  it  occurred,  called  "  Election  week,"  was  selected  by  the 
Massachusetts  Convention  of  Congregational  Clergy,  and  since  by  some 
other  Religious  Bodies  and  Benevolent  Societies,  to  bold  their  meet- 
ings,— now  commonly  called  "  Anniversary  week." 


GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF   M^VSSACIIUSETTS.  79 


ble  to  a  movement  for  a  General  Association,  he 
did  not  yet  despair  of  attaining,  in  and  by  the 
Convention,  the  basis  of  union  and  fellowship 
which  that  Association  had  been  just  formed  to 
procure. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1803,  Dr.  Lyman  thus 
writes  to  him : 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  confer  with  you  on  the  contemplated 
union  of  Christian  ministers  and  churches.  As  to  the  Cam- 
bridge Platform,  my  opinion  is  that  it  is  too  democratical  and 
anarchical.  I  think  Moderate  Presbyterianism  is  the  Scripture 
Platform.  •  *  ♦  Wq  must  all  be  Christians  upon  the 
doctrines  of  grace,  or  we  may  as  well  not  call  ourselves  Chris- 
tians at  all.  And  a  belief  of  these  doctrines  being  first  had, 
great  indulgence  is  to  be  given  to  all  other  differences  of 
opinion." 

On  the  15th  of  November  following.  Dr.  Morse 
writes  to  Dr.  Lyman  as  follows ; 

The  subject  of  a  *  Platform  '  or  *  Ecclesiastical  Constitu- 
tion '  is  revived  here,  and  must  be  brought  to  a  point  next  May, 
(at  the  meeting  of  the  Convention),  or  the  Congregational 
interest  will  be  split  in  pieces,  to  the  great  injury  of  the  cause 
of  religion  and  the  rejoicing  of  sectaries.  *  *  The  two 
extremes  "  (the  Arminians  and  Hopkinsians)  "  must  be  concili- 
ated, or  else  strength  enough  be  collected  on  the  middle  ground" 
(that  is  the  ground  occupied  by  the  Old  Calvinists  and  the 
Moderate  Calvinists)  "  to  do  without  them.  I  believe  th» 
thing  can  be  done,  if  undertaken  resolutely  and  pursued  with 
a  Christian  spirit." 

Dr.  Lyman  replies  to  this  on  the  4th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1804 : 

"  I  shall  be  pleased  with  any  plan  and  any  legitimate  means 
to  obtain  »  bond  of  union  ;  but  if  there  ia  not  doctrinal  agree- 


80         GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OP  MASSACHUSETTS. 


ment,  it  will  be  a  rope  of  sand.  And  how  can  persons  who 
say  our  blessed  Redeemer  was  a  man,  or  a  mere  creature,  unite 
with  those  who  worship  and  rest  upon  Him  as  the  true  God  and 
eternal  life  ?  There  will  be  much  to  fear  from  the  opposers  of 
Christ's  Divinity ;  and  perhaps  no  less  from  «onie  of  our 
Hopkinsian  brethren,  who  are'  high  Independents.  If  any 
body  can  coalesce  the  contending  parties  upon  a  safe  and 
promising  basis,  it  will  be  happy.  Who  can  do  more  than  my 
friend  Morse  ?  The  Convention  does  not  represent  the  clergy 
of  the  State — far  from  it ;  but  that  Body  may  recommend  to 
the  District  Associations  to  appoint  delegates  to  meet  for  the 
purpose  you  mention," 

Accordingly,  on  motion  of  Dr.  Lyman  in  Con- 
vention, May  30, 1804,  a  Committee  was  appointed 
to  inquire  by  letter  of  the  several  District  Asso- 
ciations in  the  State,  if  they  would  delegate  each 
a  member  to  meet  for  the  purpose  of  agreeing 
upon  a  plan  of  ministerial  union,  and  establishing 
a  General  Association ;  and  to  request  them  to 
send  their  replies  to  the  Committee,  previous  to 
the  meeting  of  the  Convention  in  May,  1805. 
This  Committee  consisted  of  seven.  President 
Willard  being  Chairman  and  Dr.  Lyman  a  mem- 
ber. Though  Dr.  Morse  was  not  on  the  Commit- 
tee, he  was  deeply  interested  in  the  object,  and 
was  constantly  on  the  alert  to  secure  its  accom- 
plishment. 

President  Willard  died  on  the  25th  of  Septem- 
ber, and  Dr.  Samuel  Hopkins,  of  Hadley,  the 
senior  surviving  member  of  the  Committee,  be- 
came Chairman. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  Dr  Morse  writes  to 
Dr.  Lyman  thus: 


OEXEILVL  ASSOCIATION  OF   MASSACHUSETTS.  81 


"President  Willard  had,  I  believe,  signed  copies  of  the  Let- 
ter enough  for  all  the  Associations  ;  and  I  believe  all  have  been 
sent.  I  assisted  him  in  the  distribution.  His  death  is  a  serious 
blow  to  the  object ;  and  Dr.  Forbes,  another  member  of  the 
Coniniittce,  friendly  to  the  plan,  is  sick  probably  unto  death. 
Nil  (lr)ipn'an(iiini,  however,  is  my  motto.  Let  \is  faithfully  do 
our  duty  and  leave  the  event.  Great  pains  are  taken  to  defeat 
the  object.  You  and  Dr.  Hopkins  must  draw  up  some  defiuite 
outlines  of  a  Plan  to  be  laid  before  the  Committee,  shaped 
according  to  the  communications  you  receive  from  the  Associa- 
tions. Leave  not  all  to  be  done  on  the  spot,  or  it  will  be 
difficult  to  do  any  thing.  Collect  as  many  communications  as 
possible.  Should  the  Plan  be  rejected  by  the  Committee  or 
the  Convention,  as  many  as  agree  to  it,  must,  I  think,  unite." 

On  the  9th  of  February  he  writes : 

*'  Mr.  Holmes,  Dr.  Osgood  and  I  have  met  and  agreed  that  the 
Cjmmittee  assemble  at  my  house  on  the  Friday  before  Election, 
at  9  A.  M.,  and  tlicn  determine  where  to  liold  their  session. 
Convene  as  many  as  possible  of  our  brethren  who  are  rUjhIy  at 
this  year's  meeting  of  the  Convention,  and  lot  us  be  prepared 
with  a  Plan  which  will  unite  all  the  OrtluMlox,  provided  the 
Committee's  Plan  (which  I  hope  will  be  conciliatory)  shall  be 
rejected.  I  wish  there  may  be  a  majority  for  the  Plan,  and 
that  those  who  reject  it  may  be  the  Scceders.  You  must  be 
armed  in  complete  panoply,  for  you  will  be  placed  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  hottest  battle.  I  wish  a  short  pamphlet  could  be 
written  and  printed,  informing  the  people  of  the  real  object  of 
the  proposed  Association.  If  you  will  commit  your  thoughts 
on  the  subject  to  paper  and  send  them  to  me  soon,  I  will  add 
to  them,  if  necessary,  and  sec  them  published." 

The  Comraittee  met  at  his  house  according  to 
agreement,  and,  on  finding  that  a  majority  of  Asso- 
ciations in  the  State  expressed  themselves  in 
favour  of  the  measure  proposed,  they  so  repprted 
to  the  Convention  at  its  session  in  May  1805  in 


82         GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OP  MASSACHUSETTS. 


the  hope  of  meeting  an  efficient  co-operation. 
In  tliis,  however,  they  were  disappointed.  No 
vote  was  taken  by  this  Body  on  the  Report,  and 
thus  the  efiurt  to  effect  a  union  among  the  Con- 
gregational churches,  from  which  so  much  had 
been  hoped,  proved  unsuccessful. 

Notwithstanding  the  General  Association  had 
now  been  in  exi>tence  for  some  three  years,  but 
few  of  the  District  Associations  had  3et  become 
connected  with  it.  Out  of  twenty-four,  the  whole 
number  of  District  Associations  in  the  State, 
only  five  in  1S03  and  1804,  and  only  three  in 
1805  and  1800,  were  represented  in  its  annual 
meeting.  Dr.  Morse  himself,  for  reasons  which 
will  appear  in  the  sequel,  did  not  join  it  until 
1811;  but  he  was  still  active  in  promoting  its 
growth.  lie  Avas  reluctant  to  yield  the  hope  of 
gaining  the  Convention's  approval  of  a  General 
Association ;  and  a  year  later,  (April  22,  1806), 
in  writing  to  Dr.  Lyman,  he  expresses  the  wish 
that  a  larger  number  of  delegates  from  the 
Western  part  of  the  State  might  attend  the  Con- 
vention that  3'ear;  and  adds  his  confident  belief 
that  its  concurrence  with  the  proposed  object 
might  be  secured. 

Both  Dr.  Morse  and  Dr.  Lyman,  and  several 
other  prominent  clergymen,  continued  to  labour 
with  unabated  zeal  in  aid  of  the  General  Associa- 
tion ;  and  special  efforts  were  made  to  secure  the 
co-operation  of  Drs.  Spring  and  Emmons,  but 
without  any  satisfactory  result  Dr.  Spring, 
when  addressed  on  the  subject,  answered  cau- 


GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  JLVSSACIIUSETTS.  83 


tiously,  and  forebore  to  say  any  thing  from  which 
his  opinion  could  be  definitely  gathered.  Dr. 
Emmons  was  outspoken  against  the  organization, 
and  thought  he  saw  in  it  indications  of  clerical 
oppression  that  betokened  great  evil  to  the 
Church.  His  opinion  on  the  subject  never  changed, 
anc),  through  his  influence,  the  Mendon  Associa- 
tion, to  which  he  belonged,  never  joined  the 
General  Association  till  1841,  after  his  decease. 

In  the  Panoplist  for  April,  1807,  there  are 
several  distinct  arguments  presented  in  favour  of 
a  General  Association  in  Massachusetts,  in  which 
the  nature  of  the  proposed  Body  is  explained. 
Thej'^  constitute  one  of  a  series  of  articles,  entitled 
"  Survey  of  the  New  England  Churches."  They 
were  written  by  tlie  Rev.  Leonard  Woods,  of 
Newbury,  afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woo'ls,  Profes- 
sor in  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  and 
were  subsequently  printed  in  a  pamphlet. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  General  Association, 
was  held  at  Windsor,  Berkshire  County,  in  June, 
1807.  The  meeting  is  represented  as  heaving 
been  one  of  great  interest,  and  several  of  the 
more  prominent  ministers  of  the  State  were  in 
attendance  as  members,  among  whom  was  Dr. 
Spring  of  Newburyport,  whose  presence  was 
regarded  as  a  special  occasion  for  gratulation,  as 
it  showed  that  his  Hopkinsian  predilections  were 
not  sulTicienl  to  keep  him  any  longer  aloof  from 
the  new  ecclesiastical  organization. 

Early  in  1808  Dr.  Morse  wrote  to  the  venera- 
ble Dr.  Lathrop,  of  West  Springfield,  who  replied, 


84 


GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OP  MASSACHUSETTS. 


in  February  and  March,  that  a  Gcnerttl  Associa- 
tion, separate  from,  and  without  the  approbation 
of  the  Convention,  he  should  regard  as  of  *  danger- 
ous tendencj',  as  it  might  interrupt  harmony, 
produce  animosities,  jealousies  and  obloquy,  and 
give  ndvantage  to  the  common  enemy/    He  also 
thought  tlie  time  unfavourable.    And  not  only  he 
could  *  see  no  important  end  which  such  Associa- 
tion could  answer,'  but  he  was  *not  pleased  with 
some  of  the  means  taken  to  accomplish  it.'  Par- 
ticularly he  could  *  not  see  the  necessit}'  of  a  test.* 
The  Asseiiibly's  Catechism  was  perhaps  the  best 
Compendium  of  Divinity  he  ever  saw;  and  if  he 
were  to  propose  a  test,  he  could  not  think  of  a 
better.    Yet  he  says: — *If  we  cannot  put  confi- 
dence enough  in  Associations  to  receive  their 
delegates  without  requiring  their  consent  to  a 
certain  test  of  Orthodoxy,  we  are  not  capable  of 
forming  a  General  Association.'    He  should  '  not 
judge  every  man  heretical  who  did  not  consent 
to  every  sentence  in  the  Catechism,  and  who  had 
not  joined  an  Association  that  required  such  con- 
sent.'   He  remarked  *  the  tendency  which  the 
requisition  of  subscriptions  had  to  make  hypo- 
crites and  to  prevent  honest  inquiry.'  From  some 
things  he  had  seen  in  the  Panoplist,  and  heard  in 
conversation,  he  suspected  there  was  a  design  to 
form  a  new  system  of  Church  discipline,  with 
special  reference  to  the  trial  of  ministers, — *  a 
dangerous  attempt  which  he  hoped  would  not  be 
made.'    He  deprecated  innovations  in  ecclesiasti- 
cal as  in  political  constitutions,  except  in  urgent 


GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  MASSACTIUSETTS.  85 


cases,  and  feared  that  if  the  present  one  was 
thrown  aside,  another  would  not  soon  be  adopted. 

The  following  explanator}'^  letter  was  addressed 
by  Dr.  Morse  to  Dr.  Lathrop,  on  the  18th  of 
April,  1808 : 

"  The  note  in  the  Panoplist  to  which  you  allude  had  not  for 
its  object  the  erection  of  any  ecclesiastical  tribunal  incompati- 
ble with  the  spirit  of  true  Congregationalism  or  the  Platform  of 
our  churches.  It  was  intended  merely  to  awaken  attention  to, 
and  to  revive  the  Christian  spirit,  energy  and  faithfulness  in 
Church  discipline  and  government  of  former  times,  •  to  strengthen 
the  things  that  remain  and  are  ready  to  die.'  I  am  no  friend 
to  innovations  in  ecclesiastical  government.  I  am  strongly 
against  them.  I  conceive  there  has  been,  for  years  past,  a 
growing  departure,  especially  in  this  region,  from  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,  and  from  the  order  of  the  Gospel.  My 
desire  is  that  our  churches  may  be  brought  back  to  the  aid 
paths  and  good  ways  of  the  Fathers  of  New  England,  with  suoh 
inodiGcation3  and  improvements  as  may  be  consonant  with  the 
Scriptures,  and  adapted  to  the  present  state  of  society  and  of 
the  times.  I  can  perceive  no  reasonable  objection  against  a 
meeting  of  ministers  in  General  Association  to  consult  on  the 
best  means  of  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  churches  and  to 
cherish  brotherly  love.  I  know  not  what  maybe  the  particular 
views  of  all  the  advocates  of  a  General  Association ;  but  for 
myself  and  those  with  whom  I  am  conversant,  you  may  be 
assured  we  intend  nothing  which  is  incompatible  with  the  true 
spirit  of  Congregationalism ;  nothing  schv<malicalj  unless  a 
plain  declaration  of  our  faith,  and  an  honest  zeal  to  maintain  it 
can  be  so  deemed ;  nothing  hierarchicafj  unless  an  attempt  to 
establish  some  uniform  method  of  Church  government,  like  that 
recommended  in  your  communication,*  shall  be  so  stigmatized; 
nothing  unprecedented  in  the  purest  ages  of  Christianity,  and  in 
the  most  intelligent  and  correct  portions  of  the  Christian  world. 


*  Panuplist,  Vol.  Ill,  p]>.  498-503,  September,  1808. 
8 


86 


OENEKAL  A8SOCIATIOX  OP  U^VSSACHUSETTS, 


I  Icnow  that  onr  views  are  misrepresented  by  some,  and  I 

believe  they  are  misconceived  by  others. 

"The  subject  of  a  General  Association  was  brought  before 
the  Convention,  when  President  Willard  and  Dr.  Tappan  were 
members  of  it.  They  were  open  and  decided  advocates  of  the 
plan  of  forming  a  General  Association,  and  a  uniform  mode  of 
governing  our  churches.  Theso  good  men,  and  some  others 
who  promoted  the  object,  were  removed  by  death  before  the 
Report  of  a  Committee,  of  which  they  were  members,  was  acted 
upon  by  the  Convention.  There  was,  from  actual  returns  to 
the  Committee,  a  majority  even  of  the  members  present  in  Con- 
vention— (a  Body  which  is  not  a  fair  representation  of  the 
clergy  of  the  State.)  But  the  opposition  by  a  few  members  was 
80  violent  and  so  unreasonable  that  it  was  thought  prudent  to 
drop  the  subject  in  that  Body,  and  to  resume  it  in  a  more  prac- 
ticable form,  and  to  leave  each  Association  and  individual 
minister  to  act  at  his  pleasure'?  The  experiment  of  uniting  all 
the  Congregational  clergy  of  the  State  in  one  General  Associa- 
tion having  thus  failed,  the  advocates  of  the  measure,  finding 
themselves  generally  of  one  faith,  thought  it  expedient  to  adopt 
the  Catechism,  as  vindicating  their  general  views  of  the 
doctrines  and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  And  it  is  believed 
that  few,  if  any,  of  different  sentiments  would  wish  to  join  any 
General  Association.  They  had  the  opportunity  and  have 
refused.  I  have  never  been  informed — for  I  am  not  a  mem- 
ber— that  aubscription  to  the  Catechism  has  been  required  as  a 
prerequisite  to  becoming  a  member  of  the  General  Association. 
It  is  rather  taken  for  granted  that  this  Catechism  expresses  his 
general  views  of  the  Christian  doctrines. 

"  But  what  has  been  done  already  is  only  a  preliminary,  and 
intended  to  collect  such  portion  of  the  clergy  as  are  willing  to 
act  together  for  the  good  of  the  churches ;  and  when  convened, 
then  to  deliberate  and  determine  what  is  best  to  be  done.  By 
their  works,  whatever  they  may  be,  let  the  General  Association 
be  judged.  I  think  it  premature  to  condemn  a  measure  before 
its  specific  object  is  understood.  If  the  General  Association, 
at  the  beginning,  and  from  necessity,  consists  of  men  of  a 
particular  faith,  the  door  may  be  open  to  others,  should  the 


GENERAL,  ASSOCIATION   OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  87 


purity,  peace  and  harmony  of  the  churches  require  it.  We  took 
this  liberal  ground  of  union  in  the  first  instance,  but  failed. 
"We  may  attain  the  same  object  by  pursuing  a  different  course. 
I  have  no  wish  to  cause  divisions ;  but  I  would  '  contend 
earnestly  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.' 

"  I  have  long  thought  that  something  like  the  measure  con- 
templated was  indispensable  to  the  preservation  of  our  Congre- 
gational Churches.  If  we  proceed  ten  years  longer  in  our 
present  loose,  desultory,  diverse  and  contentious  manner  of  con- 
ducting our  ecclesiastical  government  and  discipline,  the  various 
sectaries  (who  all  act  upon  a  plan  and  have  their  General  Asso- 
ciations for  conference)  will  well  nigh  root  out  our  denomina- 
tion. The  State  laws  already  favour  them,  and  probably  will 
do  so  more  and  more.  I  see  no  way  so  likely  to  preserve  the 
tilings  which  remain,  and  which  are  thus  threatened,  as  a  General 
Association  to  confer  and  act  together  upon  the  great  concerns 
of  our  churches ;  and  perhaps,  should  it  be  thought  best,  to 
revive,  revise  and  re  establish  our  Cambridge  Platform. 

"  I  have  no  wish  myself,  nor  have  I  heard  any  one  express  a 
wish,  to  'form  a  new  system  of  Church  discipline,'  much  less, 
with  '  special  reference  to  the  trial  of  ministers.' 

*'  I  presume.  Sir,  could  you  feel  it  to  be  j-our  duty  to  join 
the  General  Association,  with  your  brethren  in  your  vicinity, 
and  could  you  come  as  a  delegate  to  the  meeting  in  June  next 
at  Worcester,  and  afford  the  benefit  of  your  counsel  and  ex- 
perience, it  would  have  a  most  conciliating  and  happy  effect, 
and  prevent  unfounded  suspicions  as  to  the  views  of  that  Body. 
I  believe  you  would  find  their  views  not  materially  diflFerent 
*  from  your  own.  I  contemplate  joining  the  Association  with 
motives  and  views  such  as  I  have  now  expressed.    ♦    ♦  * 

"  If  gentlemen  of  your  age  and  standing  and  influence  in  the 
churches  could  feel  willing  to  co-operate  in  conducting  a  Gene- 
ral Association,  I  am  persuaded  all  would  go  harmoniously  and 
agreeably.  Opposition  would  then  be  limited  to  men  who  are 
no  friends  of  the  ecclesiastical  government  ever  practised  in 
the  New  England  churches.  Bat  if,  by  misrepresenting  our 
views,  these  men  can  excite  the  fears  and  neutralize  the  exer* 
tions  of  good  men,  and  even  induce  them  to  oppose  our  honest 


88  •        GENERAL  ASSOCLATION  OF  iUSSACUTSETTS. 


and  well  meant  efforts  to  restore  the  ancient  order  of  oar 
churches,  we  are  reduced  to  the  alternative  either  of  silently 
and  calmly  witnessing  the  corruption,  disorganization  and  de- 
struction of  our  Congregational  churches,  or  of  persisting  in 
our  efforts  to  apply  a  remedy  to  these  evils  at  the  hazard  not 
only  of  the  violent  opposition  of  the  avowed  enemies  of  eccle- 
siastical government,  but, — what  is  more  painful  to  us, — also 
of  wounding  the  feelings  of  men  whom  we  love  and  venerate 
as  our  brethren  and  fathers.  The  neutrality  and  disapproba- 
tion of  the  aged  friends  of  the  Platform  of  our  churches  in 
respect  to  the  contemplated  measures,  will  strengthen  the  advo- 
cates for  a  lax  government,  and  discourage  those  who  would 
restore  the  ancient  government  and  discipline ;  then  a  party 
disposed  to  form  a  new  and  rigid  Platform  of  government  might 
be  strong  enough  to  do  it,  and  the  true,  temperate,  conciliatory 
policy  must  be  abandoned.  For  none  to  move  is  to  j'ield  the 
ground  to  the  enemies  of  ecclesiastical  order  and  to  sectaries. 
For  only  one  class,  friendly  to  a  strong  government,  to  move, 
is  to  give  the  ground  to  the  other  extreme  party.  The  proper 
course  is  for  all  who  are  friendly  to  some  known  and  established 
plan  of  government  and  discipline  to  meet  and  act  in  concert." 

The  reason  why  he  was  not  yet  himself  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  General  Association  is  now  to  be  given. 
The  Boston  Association  to  which  he  belonged,  of 
course  did  not  sj  inpathize  with  that  Body.  Be- 
ing thus  in  a  minority,  what  was  the  proper 
course  for  him,  and  others  in  like  circumstances, 
to  take,  Avho  were  desirous  of  promoting  the 
designs  and  enjoying  the  benefits  of  the  General 
Association  ? 

Through  Dr.  Lyman  he  asked  the  advice  of  that 
Body,  and  the  reply  was  that  it  was  not  thought 
best  for  the  General  Association  to  be  in  corres- 
pondence with  parts  of  Associations  or  with 
individuals,  lest  it  should  give  occasion  to  scan- 


GENERAL  ASSOCIATIOX  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  89 


(lal ;  but  that  these  should  devise  expedients  of 
their  own  by  which  to  enter  the  General  Asso- 
ciation. Three  expedients  were  suggested  by  a 
writer  in  the  Panoplist  (Vol.  III.  p.  18).  He 
adopted  the  one  of  dissolving  his  connection  with 
the  Boston  Association,  and  joining  with  others 
of  his  own  views  in  forming  a  new  Association. 
But  this  change  was  not  to  be  effected  without 
considerable  labour ;  and  pressed,  as  he  was  at 
this  time,  (1808),  with  a  great  variety  of  cares, 
he  found  it  absolutely  necessary  to  postpone  it. 
Meanwhile  his  brethren,  from  different  quarters, 
were  writing  to  him,  and  urging  the  formation 
of  the  new  Association  at  the  very  earliest  period. 
The  project,  however,  did  not  take  efl'ect  until 
the  spring  of  1811.  At  that  time  a  new  eccle- 
siastical Body,  under  the  name  of  the  Union 
Association,  was  formed  of  Orthodox  ministers 
from  the  Suffolk,  Norfolk,  Essex  and  Middlesex 
Associations,  and  Dr.  Morse  attended,  as  one  of 
its  Delegates,  the  Sessions  of  the  General  Asso- 
ciation in  Salem,  June  25,  1811. 

At  this  meeting  Dr.  Morse  received  not  only 
a  cordial  welcome  from  the  ministers  composing 
it,  but  that  sort  of  evidence  of  confidence  in 
liis  ability  that  consisted  in  placing  him  at 
once  in  several  positions  of  high  responsibility. 
He  was  appointed  on  no  less  than  five  Commit- 
tees— to  make  arrangements ;  to  prepare  the 
Narrative  of  the  State  of  Religion,  (of  which 
Committee  he  was  Chairman;)  to  revise  the 
Rules  of  the  Association ;  to  publish  the  Report ; 


90         QEXERAL  ASSOCIATION  OP  MASSACIirSETTS. 


and  to  devise  measures  for  the  suppression  of 
Intemperance. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  General  Associa- 
tion, (June,  1812,)  he  was  again  appointed  on 
numerous  Committees ;  and  also  was  one  of  the 
two  delegates  chosen  to  represent  the  Body  in 
the  next  General  Assemhly  of  the  Presh^  terian 
Church,  at  Philadelphia.  lie  fullilled  the  appoint- 
ment in  May,  1813. 

As  early  as  1811  the  question  of  forming  Con- 
sociations (a  union  of  Congregational  Churches 
hy  Pastors  and  Delegates,  Avith  a  measure  of 
judicial  authority)  was  considerahly  agitated, 
but  the  prevailing  opinion  seemed  to  be  that  it 
was  inexpedient  at  that  time  to  attempt  it. 
Three  3'ears  later,  however,  (in  1814,)*  in  conse- 
quence of  the  discovery  of  a  manuscript  among 
the  papers  of  Cotton  Mather,  containing  a  record 
of  the  doings  of  the  Massachusetts  Convention  in 
1704-OG,  which  was  strongly  fjivourable  to  Con- 
sociations, the  General  Association  appointed  a 
Committee  to  obtain  more  definite  information 
concerning  the  doings  of  that  Bcdy,  and  to  report 
at  the  next  annual  meeting  on  the  expediency 
of  carrying  out  some  such  pla»i  as  the  one  pro- 
posed at  that  early  day,  which  was  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  the  forming  of  Consociations.  The 
Committee  consisted  of  seven  prominent  clergy- 
men, Dr.  Morse  being  Chairman.  This  Com- 
mittee addressed  themselves  to  their  work  with 
great  earnestness,  and  in  due  time  had  prepared 
their  report,  approving,  on  the  whole,  of  Con- 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


91 


sooiations,  but  in  a  form  differing  somewhat  from 
that  which  was  proposed  in  1705.  Tliis  Report 
was  presented  to  the  General  Association  in  1815; 
and,  after  being  duly  discussed,  was  ordered  to 
be  printed  and  sent  to  the  several  Associations, 
that  they  might  pass  their  judgment  upon  it, 
with  a  view  to  an  ultimate  decision  of  the  ques- 
tion at  the  next  annual  meeting.  Accordingly, 
the  matter  came  up  at  the  meeting  in  June,  1816, 
and  the  General  Association  accepted,  as  their 
final  action  on  the  subject,  a  Report  which,  while 
it  recognizes  the  desirableness  of  .a  more  eflicient 
system  of  discipline,  and  authorizes  the  forming 
of  Consociations  where  the  ministers  and  churches 
favour  it,  does  not  go  so  far  as  even  to  recom- 
mend the  general  adoption  of  the  principle.  Dr. 
Morse  was,  from  the  beginning,  deeply  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  effecting  this  organiza- 
tion, and  his  earnest  efforts  for  the  object  seem 
to  liave  subjected  him  afterwards  to  no  small 
obloquy  even  from  individuals  of  his  own  pastoral 
charge.  But  the  idea  was  finally  abandoned,  and 
has  never  since  been  practically  revived. 

ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

It  is  proper  to  premise  that  it  is  not  the  design, 
under  this  head,  to  present  a  continuous  history 
of  the  founding  of  the  Andover  Seminary,  but 
only  to  show  the  agency  that  Dr.  Morse  had  in 
it.  And  many  of  the  details  even  of  that  are 
necessarily  passed  over,  partly  because  it  is  not 
easy  at  this  day  accurately  to  trace  them,  and 


92 


ANDOTEB  THEOLOGICAL  8EMINABT. 


partly  because  they  were  not  of  sufficient  signifi- 
cance to  become  matter  of  permanent  record. 

The  first  conception  of  this  noble  Institution, 
of  which  I  find  any  notice,  is  in  connection  with 
the  prospect  of  Dr.  Pearson's  resigning  his  Pro- 
fessorship in  Harvard  College.  This  resignation 
was  understood,  by  the  Doctor's  friends,  to  have 
been  in  consequence  of  the  Unitarian  tendencies 
which  had  been,  for  some  time,  in  a  process  of 
development  in  the  College,  and  which  were  then 
becoming  more  strongly  marked  in  the  probable 
election  of  the  Liberal  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency. Dr.  Morse,  referring  to  the  then  existing 
state  of  things,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Green,  dated 
December  24,  1805,  thus  shadows  forth  the  in- 
cipient project  for  a  new  institution: 

*'  These  events  may  probably  be  tbe  means  of  founding  a  new 
Literary  and  Theological  Institution,  on  principles  and  for 
purposes  similar  to  those  on  and  for  which  Harvard  College 
was  founded.  A  Phoenix  may  arise  out  of  the  ashes  of  this 
ancient  Seminary.  At  least  such  an  event  is  not  improbable. 
Dr.  Pearson  has  decided  to  resign  his  oflSce  at  the  close  of  the 
vacation  (in  March) ;  and  he  is  by  far  the  most  efficient  officer 
belonging  to  that  Institution." 

Dr.  Pearson's  purpose  to  resign  bis  office,  which 
seems  to  have  originated  with  the  election  of 
Mr.  Ware  to  the  Professorship  of  Theology,  was 
carried  into  eflect  in  March,  180G;  and  in  his 
Letter  of  Resignation  addressed  to  the  Overseers 
of  the  College,  he  thus  sums  up  the  reasons  for 
his  taking  this  painful  step: 

"  In  a  word,  such  a  gloom  is  spread  over  the  University,  and 
such  is  my  view  of  its  internal  state  and  external  relations,  of 


ANDOVER  TIIEOLOOICiVL  SEMINXRT. 


93 


its  cardinal  and  constitutional  maladies,  as  to  awaken  all  my 
fears,  and  exclude  the  hope  of  rendering  any  effectual  service  to 
the  interests  of  religion  by  continuing  my  connection  with  it." 

When  Dr.  Pearson's  friends  became  apprised 
of  his  intention,  several  of  them,  among  whom 
Dr.  Morse  was  prominent,  began  to  inquire  in 
what  way  his  great  talents  and  acquirements 
might  still  be  rendered  serviceable  to  the  Churcli ; 
and  their  deliberations  resulted  in  the  conviction 
that  it  was  best  to  establish  a  Theological  Semi- 
nary and  make  him  one  of  its  Professors. 

There  were  special  reasons  growing  out  of  the 
Constitution  of  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  for 
endeavouring  to  engraft  the  projected  Theological 
Scliool  upon  tliat  already  venera])le  Institution. 
The  founders  of  that  Academy  had  declared  the 
"  principal  object  of  their  Institution"  to  be  "  the 
promotion  of  true  piety  and  virtue";  and  when 
the  endowment  was  enhirged  by  a  subsequent 
bequest,  it  was  arranged  that  those  wlio  were 
designed  for  the  ministrv  should  receive  the  in- 
struction  of  some  eminent  Calvinistic  minister  of 
the  Gospel,  until  a  Tiieological  Professor  should 
be  appointed.  In  addition  to  this,  Mr.  Samuel 
Abljot,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Dr.  Pear- 
son, by  a  codicil  of  his  will,  dated  June  11,  1805, 
diverted  the  money  which  he  had  bequeathed  to 
Harvard  College,  to  a  Professorship  to  be  estab- 
lished at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover.  The  in- 
strument contains  this  remarkable  clause : 

"  And,  furthermore,  my  will  is,  that  provided  said  Academy 
shall,  at  any  future  time,  be  converted  into  a  College,  or  in 


94 


ANDOVHR  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINABT. 


case  a  College  shall  be  instituted  in  that  parish  in  Andover  in 
which  Phillips  Academy  is  situated,  then  the  said  fund  be 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Professorship  of  Divinity  in  said 
College." 

In  all  the  primary  movements  looking  towards 
this  enterprise  Dr.  Morse  bore  a  prominent  part; 
and  letters  still  exist,  not  only  from  himself,  but 
from  several  other  of  the  most  influential  Ortho- 
dox clergymen  of  the  day,  showing  that  he  was 
most  intent  upon  the  accomplishment  of  this 
object.  In  writing  to  Dr.  Lathrop,  of  West 
Springfield,  on  the  subject,  under  date  of  No- 
vember 18,  1807,  after  alluding  to  the  origin  of 
the  Institution  as  above  stated,  he  says: 

"  It  was  thought  wise  and  prudent  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
the  Institution  on  so  broad  a  scale  as  to  embrace,  if  I  may  so 
speak,  all  shades  of  CalvinLsts,  or  all  who  approve  the  Assem- 
bly's Catechism,  or  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  in  hope 
that  time  and  friendl}'  intercourse  and  discussion  would  bring 
all  together  on  some  middle  ground.  With  these  views  it  was 
intended  that  the  Professors  should  be  selected  from  the  several 
shades,  so  to  speak,  so  as  that  the  confidence  of  each  might  be 
secured  by  an  equal  representation." 

It  came  to  Dr.  Morse's  knowledge,  at  least  as 
early  as  February,  180G,  that  Mr.  William  Bart- 
lett,  a  distinguished  merchant  of  Newburyport, 
and  a  parishioner  of  Dr.  Spring,  had  intentions 
of  endowing  liberally  an  Institution  for  theologi- 
cal education  at  Newbury ;  also  that  Mr.  Moses 
Brown,  another  of  Dr.  Spring's  parishioners,  and 
Mr.  Norris,  of  Salem,  would  join  in  this  enter- 
prise ;  the  purpose  having  been  suggested,  as  in 


ANDOVEU  THEOLOGICAL  SE.MIXAKY. 


95 


the  other  case,  by  the  revolution  in  Harvard 
College.  This  was  justly  regarded  as  the  germ 
of  a  rival  Hopkinsian  Seminary ;  and,  as  Dr. 
Morse  deprecated  such  a  measure  as  tending  to 
divide  the  Orthodox  ranks,  he  immediately  un- 
dertook to  prevent  it,  by  merging  the  proposed 
institution  into  the  one  projected  by  the  friends 
of  Dr.  Pearson. 

A  series  of  articles  appeared  in  the  Panoplist, 
in  successive  numbers,  from  June,  180G  to  June, 
1808,  written  by  Mr.  Woods,  at  Dr.  Morse's  sug- 
gestion, the  design  of  which  was  to  reach  the 
grand  conclusion  that  a  Theological  Seminary, 
on  the  Orthodox  plan,  was  loudly  called  for  by 
the  ecclesiastical  state  of  thinj^s  in  that  reirion 
and  was  even  essential  to  the  transmission  of  an 
incorrupt  Christianity  to  posterity.  These  arti 
clcs  had  an  important  influence  in  giving  to  the 
public  mind  the  direction  which  it  finally  assumed 

Immediately  on  the  resignation  of  his  Profes- 
sorship at  Cambridge,  Dr.  Pearson  removed,  with 
(lis  family,  to  Andover.  Here,  in  conjtniction  with 
Dr.  Morse,  Samuel  Farrar,  Samuel  Abbot,  Mark 
Newman.  Mr.  French  and  Nehemiah  Abbot,  he 
formed  a  Body  called  the  '*  Andover  Associates," 
having  for  their  object  to  promote  tlie  design  of  a 
Theological  Seminary  at  Andover.  They  first 
met  in  July,  180G. 

In  September  following,  a  paper  was  read 
before  this  Body,  by  Dr.  Pearson,  whose  mind 
had  been  all  summer  occupied  with  the  subject, 
on  the  importance  of  a  Theological  Seminary, 


96 


ANDOYER  TlfEOlXXJICAL  8EMIXARY. 


which  was  afterwards  printed  in  the  Panoplist.* 
And  the  same  month  a  Committee  was  appointed, 
of  which  Dr.  Morse  was  one,  to  draft  the  "  Out- 
lines of  a  Theological  Seminary,**  which  paper 
was  read  before  the  associates  in  October  follow- 
ing, and  also  published.!  These  "Outlines'*  are 
substantially  the  present  Constitution  of  the 
Theological  Seminary,  adopted  in  the  fall  of  1807. 

The  next  step  in  the  process  was  the  connect- 
ing of  the  Seminary  with  Phillips  Academy,  and 
placing  it  under  the  patronage  and  control  of  the 
Boardof  Trustees,  of  which  Dr.Pearson  was  Presi- 
dent, and  Dr.  Morse  and  the  other  Andover  Asso- 
ciates were  all  members.  They  proposed  to  com- 
municate their  plan  to  the  Trustees  at  the  next 
meeting,  but  it  was  not  then  sufficiently  matured, 
and  it  was  actually  delayed  for  several  months. 
Meanwhile  the  prospect  of  the  union  of  the  dif- 
ferent parties  seemed  to  brighten,  and  on  the  17th 
of  October,  1800,  Mr.  Woods  writes  thus  to  Dr. 
Morse : 

"  I  spent  a  long  evening  with  Dr.  Emmons.  As  to  the  Col- 
lege (the  Thculugical  Seminary)  I  think  he  will  co-operute  with 
all  his  might,  and  so  will  other  influential  men  of  his  stamp,  if 
they  can  see  that  Ilopkinsians  are  not  neglected  iu  the  plan 
and  direction  of  the  Institution.  He  is  phased  with  the  idea 
of  a  College  on  jiwpose  to  make  ministers.  He  expressed  fears, 
however,  that  such  ministers  would  be  less  respected  than 
those  educated  at  a  University.  *  *  *  He  thought  it  im- 
portant to  have  one  Theological  College,  which  all  the  orthodox 
should  join  to  support." 


•  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  306-316.t  lb.  pp.  34S-348. 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARF. 


97 


To  this  letter  Dr.  Morse  replies  thus  on  the 
2 1st  of  October : 

"  Your  interview  with  Dr.  Emmons  docs  my  heart  good.  I 
am  greatly  encouraged  to  hope  that  a  cordial  union,  so  devoutly 
to  be  wished  by  all  good  men,  may  yet  be  effected.  Talk  with 
Brother  Austin  on  the  subject.  Its  importance  magnifies  the 
more  it  is  contemplated.  Call  not  the  Institution  a  College, 
but  a  Theological  Seminary.  The  idea  is  to  adnut  young  men 
into  this  school  who  have  received  education  at  some  one  of  our 
Colleges.  I  believe  a  plan  can  be  formed  which  shall  meet  the 
views  and  feelings  of  all  evangelical  men.  There  is  no  wish  to 
put  in  the  back-ground  the  Ilopkinsians,  but  to  have  them 
anite  on  generous  principles.  Do  write  Dr.  Kmmons  and  press 
\he  idea  of  union  in  the  General  Association  and  in  the  Thcolo- 
fiical  School.  I  wish  he  could  converse  with  Dr.  Dwijclit  on  the 
subject,  and  know  how  much  he  desires  such  a  union,  as  indis- 
pensable to  the  maintenance  of  evangelical  truth  in  Massa- 
chusetts." 

That  the  plan  of  the  Seminary  had,  in  various 
respects,  been  matured  at  this  time,  is  rendered 
farther  evident  from  the  following  extract  from 
a  letter,  addressed  by  Dr.  Morse,  on  the  23d  of 
December,  to  Mr.  Charles  Taylor,  a  London  book- 
seller, to  whom  he  sends  a  list  of  books  to  be  pur- 
chased, to  the  amount  of  five  hundred  dollars: 

"  These  books  are  to  make  part  of  a  Library  for  a  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  now  in  process  of  formation  by  a  number  of  chari- 
table individuals.  It  is  to  be  on  a  broad  foundation,  and  to 
have  three  Professors  at  least.  By  an  article  in  the  Constitu- 
tion the  Professors  are  to  sustain  the  character  of  sober,  honest, 
learned  and  pious  men,  of  sound  and  orthodox  principles  in 
Divinity,  according  to  that  system  of  evangelical  doctrine  con- 
tained in  the  Assembly's  Shorter  Catechism.  This  will  enable 
you,  Sir,  to  determine  what  will  be  the  religious  character  of 
the  Seminary.  Gontribations  to  its  library,  of  ancient  and 
9 


98 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINART. 


modern  books  of  value,  by  men  of  piety  and  liberality  on  yoor 
side  of  the  water,  would  be  received  and  acknowledged  with 
gratitude  by  the  Founders.  This  institution  has  to  struggle 
hard  against  the  latitudinarian  sentiments,  which  are  prevailing 
among  us  at  the  present  time,  and  whatever  is  given  will  aid 
the  cause  of  evangelical  truth.  I  wish  you  to  show  this  letter 
to  my  friend,  the  Kev.  George  Burdcr,  to  whom  I  shall  write 
by  this  opportunity,  and  shall  refer  him  to  you  for  the  informa- 
tion here  communicated,  relative  to  the  Seminary,  in  aid  of 
which  his  influence  also  is  solicited." 

It  was  now  understood  that  Dr.  Pearson  and 
Mr.  AVoods  were  to  hold  Professorships  in  the 
new  Seminary,  hut  there  was  to  he  auother,  who 
had  not  yet  heen  selected.  Accordingly,  on  the 
12th  of  January,  1807,  Dr.  Morse  wrote  to  Dr. 
Rodgers  of  New  York,  requesting  him  to  confer 
with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Miller,  his  colleague  in  the 
pastorate,  and  ascertain  if  he  would  accept  the 
third  Professorship.  The  application  met  a  nega- 
tive response  ;  tliough  a  subsequent  attempt,  after 
the  Seminary  was  established,  to  secure  a  repre- 
sentative from  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  the 
Andover  Faculty,  proved  successful. 

Dr.  Morse,  regarding,  as  he  did,  the  matter  of 
union  as  paramount  to  every  thing  else,  was 
endeavoring  to  reach  Mr.  Bartlett,  through  the 
influence  of  several  clergymen  in  the  neighbour- 
hood who  were  acquainted  with  him,  and  thus 
bring  him  to  abandon  the  idea  of  a  separate  estab- 
lishment, when,  on  the  17th  of  March,  1807,  he 
received  a  communication  that  seemed  decisive 
against  his  wishes.  Mr.  Woods  came  on  that  day 
from  Newbury  expressly  to  inform  him  that  the 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMIXAUY. 


99 


evening  before,  he  had  met,  by  invitation,  Messrs. 
Bartlett  and  Brown, at  tlie  house  of  their  Pastor, 
Dr.  Spring,  when  the  Doctor  announced  the  inten- 
tion of  forming  a  separate  Seminary  at  Newbury, 
to  which  each  of  the  two  wealthy  parishioners, 
who  were  present,  pledged  ten  thousand  dollars 
on  the  spot;  that  they  named  Mr.  Woods  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology  ;  and  that,  while  he  had  come 
to  Charlestown  with  this  announcement.  Dr. 
Spring  had  gone  to  Salem  to  inform  Mr.  Norris 
of  what  had  been  done,  and  to  secure  for  the 
*  object  the  donation  of  ten  tliousand  dollars 
which  he  had  pledged  several  months  before. 
Mr.  Woods,  though  he  seems  to  have  felt  some- 
what embarrassed  by  the  position  in  which  this 
appointment  had  placed  him,  wrote  to  Dr  Morse, 
on  the  10th  of  April,  that  he  was  opposed  to  a 
separate  Institution,  and  would  exert  himself  to 
the  utmost  in  favor  of  union  in  founding  the 
Andover  Seminary. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  a  conference  took  place 
in  Charlestown,  between  Dr.  Spring.  Dr.  Pearson 
and  Dr.  Morse,  of  which  the  latter  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Woods,  written 
the  next  day : 

"  Brother  Spring  arrived  yesterday  afternoon,  and,  with  Dr. 
Pearson,  has  been  here  till  six  o'clock  this  morning.  It  was 
between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  we  retired. 
You  may  easily  suppose  that  we  have  been  over  the  whole 
ground.  Brother  Spring  says  that  Dr.  Emmons  is  afraid  of 
union  both  in  General  Association  and  Theological  Academy. 
He  will  act  neither  for  nor  against  the  former.  I  hope  he  will 
Dot  act  against  the  latter. 


100 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAl.  SEMINARY. 


**  Brother  Spring  sa^'S  our  conference  has  produced  in  him 
only  painful  doubt.  I  hope,  since  reflection  has  produced,  in 
some  degree,  a  favourable  change  in  his  views,  that  more  infor- 
mation and  reflection  will  ultimately  induce  entire  conviction 
of  the  practicability  and  duty  of  union.  In  my  opinion,  per- 
sonal con.siderations  as  respect  him,  and  you,  more  especially, 
call  for  union.  But  these,  compared  with  intiiiitely  superior 
reasons,  should  not  be  named.  I  believe  that,  as  Christians, 
as  ministers  of  Christ,  we  are  bound  in  this  case  to  unite. 

"  I  cannot  but  wonder  that,  in  existing  circumstances,  in  so 
singular  a  state  of  things,  when  Providence  is  speaking  to  us  in 
passing  events  in  a  voice  so  loud  and  impressive,  to  combine 
our  influciice  and  eff"orts  to  strengthen  the  things  that  remain 
and  are  ready  to  die.  Christians,  like  those  concerned  in  this 
business,  should  need  persuasion  to  unite.  One  would  suppose 
that  they  would  all  rejoice  in  the  opportunity  of  doing  so,  and 
would  accept  union,  wlien  offered,  with  eagerness  and  grati- 
tude. It  is  to  me  unaccountable.  But  I  trust  it  is  only  a  trial 
placed  in  our  way  to  test  our  zeal,  fidelity  and  perseverance  in 
our  Master's  service,  and  that,  if  we  are  not  wanting  in  our 
duty,  the  object  will  be  happily  accomplished.  Much,  under 
Providence,  will  depend  on  you.  On  all  your  influence  and 
exertions  I  confidently  calculate.  I  know  your  situation  is  deli- 
cate, but  3'ou  need  not,  you  must  not,  be  afraid  to  act.  I  believe 
Brother  Spring  is  possessed  of  the  whole  of  our  views.  He  has 
heard  with  candour  and  conferred  with  frankness,  and  has 
pleased  and  interested  both  Dr.  Pearson  and  niyself.  I  think 
he  will  be  led  to  a  result  which  will  be  satisfactory  to  us.  Let 
Dr.  Pearson  see  and  talk  with  the  donors.  He  can  best  explain 
to  them  the  Visitorial  plan  of  Union,  with  which  I  cannot  but 
think  they  will  be  pleased." 

This  refers  to  the  Plan  of  a  Board  of  Visitors 
with  supervisory  power  over  the  Trustees  of 
Phillips  Academy.  Tliis  Board  was  ultimately 
established,  and  under  it  the  desired  union  was 
effected. 

From  the  middle  of  April  till  the  middle  of 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


101 


May,  Dr  Morse  was  occupied  in  journcj^ing  for 
his  health.  He  stopped  at  New  Haven,  and 
there  enlisted  Dr.  Dwight  heartily  in  the  cause 
of  union ;  and  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
looked  out  for  another  Professor  for  the  Scini- 
nury.  Some  time  during  his  absence,  he  received 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Woods,  informing  him  that 
repeated  interviews  had  been  held  between  Drs. 
Pearson  and  Spring ;  and  Messrs.  Brown,  Bartlett 
and  Norris ;  that  Dr.  Pearson  had  contributed 
much  to  the  gratification  of  the  others,  but  that 
still  tliey  decided  to  have  no  connection  with 
Phillips  Academy,  though  they  were  willing  the 
Andoverians  should  join  them  in  est  iblisliing  a 
Seminar^^  at  Newbury.  They  agreed,  however, 
to  suspend  for  the  time  every  operation  that 
would  preclude  union  in  a  new  Institution,  and 
to  appoint  a  conference  on  the  subject  after  Dr. 
Morse's  return. 

This  conference  was  held  at  Newburyport  on 
the  15th  of  June;  but  the  death  of  an  infant 
child  prevented  Dr.  Morse's  attendance.  The 
persons  assembled  on  the  occasion  were  Drs. 
Spring,  Emmons  and  Pearson,  Messrs.  Brown, 
Bartlet  and  Norris,  and  Samuel  Farrar  Esq. 
The  v.irious  questions  pertaining  to  the  Seminary 
were  discussed  with  great  earnestness,  and  the 
result,  so  far  as  any  was  arrived  at,  was  altogether 
unfavourable  to  the  prospect  of  union.  The  next 
week,  however,  Dr.  Morse's  hopes  were  again  re- 
vived by  the  appearance  of  Dr.  Spring  at  the 
meeting  of  the  General  Association  at  Windsor, 


102  ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SE3IIVART. 


as  a  delegate  from  the  Essex  Middle  Association, 
which  had  not  hefore  been  represented  in  that 
Body.  This  he  seems  to  have  looked  upon  as  a 
very  important  point  gained,  and  as  foreshadow- 
ing a  favourable  result  in  respect  to  the  Seminary. 

During  the  months  of  July  and  August  vigor- 
ous negotiations  for  union  were  kept  up  ;  and  in 
the  last  week  of  August  earnest  consultations 
were  held  on  the  subject  in  Salem,  Newburyport 
and  Andover.  Meanwhile  Dr.  Dwijirht  had  come 
from  Connecticut  to  add  the  Aveight  of  his  influ- 
ence in  favour  of  union.  The  result  was  that 
the  idea  of  a  Seminary  at  Newbury  was  aban- 
doned, and  the  projectors  consented  that  its  seat 
should  be  at  Andover,  where  further  efforts  for 
union  were  destined  to  be  made. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Trustees  of  Phillips  Acadeniy, 
communicated  at  their  meeting  on  the  1st  of 
October,  Mr.  Abbot,  who  had  reserved  to  him- 
self the  appointment  of  his  own  Professor,  ap- 
pointed the  Rev.  Leonard  Woods,  and  that 
Body  immediately  ratified  the  appointment. 
The  sujricestion  that  Mr.  Woods  should  be  the 
Professor  was  made  to  Mr.  Abbot  by  Drs.  Pearson 
and  Morse.  It  was  not,  however,  publicly  known 
until  effectual  measures  had  been  taken,  especial- 
ly by  Dr  Morse,  to  overcome  the  scruples  of  a 
portion  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
to  this  selection  of  a  reputed  Ilopkinsian.  When 
the  appointment  Avas  made,  its  conciliatory  tend- 
ency became  manifest ;  for  the  Andover  Founder, 
by  adopting,  as  his  Professor  of  Christian  Theo- 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMIXAIIY. 


103 


logy,  the  man  of  their  choice,  provoked  the 
New hury  Founders  to  reciprocate  the  civility,  by 
afterwards  appointing  Dr.  Pearson,  the  Ando- 
verian  fiivourite,  to  the  Professorship  of  Sacred 
Literature. 

But  there  was  still  another  difliculty  to  be 
encountered,  after  doctrinal  differences  had  been 
reconciled.  The  Ilopkinsians  expressed  appre- 
hensions that  the  Constitution  of  Phillips  Aca- 
demy would  not  admit  of  a  Board  of  Visitors, 
with  supervisory  power  over  the  Trustees,  and 
tliat,  if  such  a  Board  were  constituted,  its  acts 
miglit  hereafter  be  annull«*d.  But,  after  con- 
siderable consultation  on  the  subject,  in  which 
Dr.  Morse  had  a  very  prominent  part,  and  after 
having  received  the  opinion  of  two  eminent 
jurists  (His  Excellency  Caleb  Strong  and  the 
lion.  George  Bliss)  in  favour  of  the  practicability 
of  the  Yisitorial  Plan  of*  Union,  that  Plan  was 
finall}'  adopted,  as  an  experiment  to  be  continued 
for  seven  years.  Accordingly,  on  the  30th  of 
November,  Dr.  Spring  on  the  one  side,  and  Drs. 
Pearson  and  Morse  on  the  other,  met,  by  appoint- 
ment, in  Dr.  Morse's  study,  at  Charlestown,  and 
the  next  morning  they  had  drawn  up  and  mutu- 
ally signed  the  following  document : 

"1.  Upon  serious  and  mature  deliberation  it  appears  that 
TTnion,  founded  on  Visitorial  principles,  will  be  safe,  honourable 
and  effectual  ;  and  that  the  power  and  influence  of  a  Board  of 
Visitors  will  be  as  commanding  and  extensive  as  that  of  anj 
Board  of  Trustees. 

*•  2.  It  is  mutually  understood  that  there  shall  be  one  com- 
mon and  permanent  creed, — vis.,  that  exhibited  bj  the  Andover 


104 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


Associates  in  their  late  conference  with  the  Gentlemen  at 
Newburyport. 

*'3.  It  is  mutually  understood  that  the  Donors,  Messrs. 
Brown,  Bartlett  and  Norris,  shall  have  the  liberty  and  right  of 
supporting  two  Professors,  one  of  whom  shall  be  a  Professor 
of  Revealed  lleligioii,  and  as  many  students  as  the  income  of 
their  funds  will  maintain. 

"  4.  It  is  mutually  understood  that  the  Donors  have  the  sole 
right  of  prescribing  their  own  Statutes,  in  consistency  with  the 
object  and  general  regulations  of  the  Institution. 

'*  5.  The  Visitorial  System  is  understood  to  place  the  power 
of  choosing  Professors  in  the  Trustees  ;  but  that  the  Visitors 
possess  the  right  of  approving  or  negativing  their  elections. 

6.  Upon  the  death,  resignation  or  removal  of  a  Professor, 
a  successor  shall  be  chosen  within  six  months;  and  if  the  first 
election  be  negatived,  a  choice  shall  be  made  which  shall  be 
approved  b}-  the  visitors,  Mies  ^mo/iW,  within  twelve  mouths 
from  the  commencement  of  the  vacancy. 

"7.  No  student  shall  be  placed  on  this  foundation,  who  has 
not  been  previously  recommended  by  a  Committee  appointed 
by  the  Visitors. 

"  8.  It  is  understood  that  the  tuition  of  the  students  of  the 
Seminar}'  shall  be  gratis. 

"  9.  The  funds  of  the  Associate  Founders  shall  be  preserved 
forever,  distinct  from  all  other  funds  whatever,  without  being 
blended  with  any  other  property,  by  exchange,  sale,  purchase, 
loan  or  otherwise,  aud  separate  accounts  kept  by  the  Treasurer  ; 
and  books  and  all  evidence  of  property  kept  in  a  separate  trunk 
or  box  prepared  for  prompt  removal  in  case  of  any  emergency. 

"  10.  It  is  mutually  understood  that  the  Associate  Founders 
defray  one  half  of  the  expense  of  the  necessary  buildings  and 
Library  of  the  Seminary. 

*'  11.  The  Statutes  of  the  Founders,  and  the  Covenant 
between  the  Founders  and  the  Trustees,  will  be  submitted  to 
the  examination  and  approbation  of  two  gentlemen  learned  in 
the  Law,  mutually  chosen  by  the  parties, — viz.,  by  the  Associate 
Founders  and  the  Trustees  aforesaid. 

"  It  is  mutually  understood  that  the  proposed  coalition  com- 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEM7XAUY. 


105 


mcnccs  \rith  the  ardent  hope  that  the  sacred  cause  of  evangelical 
truth  will  be  thereby  most  effectually  promoted  ;  and  that  thia 
connection,  after  an  experiment  of  seven  years,  will  terminate 
in  perfect  and  indissoluble  union. 

p]LIPIIALET  PEARSON, 
JEDIDIAU  MOUSE, 
SAMUEL  SPUING. 
Charlestown  Mass.,  1st  December,  1807." 

The  Visitorial  Plan  of  Union  being  thus  agreed 
upon,  the  next  thing  was  to  embody  its  principles 
in  the  Statutes  of  the  Associate  Founders ;  but 
the  attempt  to  do  this  suggested  other  difiiculties 
still  of  a  threatening  aspect,  which  it  required 
great  sagacity  and  perseverance  to  bring  to 
a  successful  issue.  The  object,  however,  was 
accomplished,  after  a  few  weeks,  and  Dr.  Morse 
was  permitted  to  see  this  long  cherished  wish  of 
union  between  the  two  parties  fully  gratified, 
lie  announces  the  crowning  step  in  the  process, — 
namely,  the  fact  of  Mr.  Norris'  having  signed 
the  Constitution, — in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Pearson,  of 
the  28th  of  February,  1808,  and  adds  the  following 
reflections : 

"  /vflu-s'  Den.  How  faithful  is  the  Lord  to  fulfil  his  promises. 
In  due  time  ye  shall  reap,  if  ye  faint  not.  Hitherto  the  Lord 
hath  helped  us.  In  his  own  way  and  time.  He  will  accomplish 
his  own  purposes  in  this  Institution.  How  honourable  to  be 
employed  as  instruments  of  laying  the  foundation  of  such  an 
establishment  for  the  advancement  of  his  glory  I  I  ever 
believed  that  this  thing  was  of  God,  and  that  He  would  in  due 
time  accomplish  it.  The  difficulties  which  we  have  been  called 
to  encounter,  however  painful  and  discouraging  at  the  time, 
have,  I  trust,  made  both  ourselves  and  the  Institution  better." 


106  ANDOVER  THEOIXWICAL  SEMIXART. 


The  Creed  which  la  given  at  length  in  the 
Associate  Statutes,  and  the  Visitorial  Plan  of 
Union,  the  Andover  Founders  adopted  as  their 
own,  and  submitted  them  as  "  Additional  Stat- 
utes "  to  their  Constitution,  for  acceptance  by  the 
Trustees  of  Phillip*s  Academy,  on  condition  that 
that  Body  accepted  the  Statutes  of  the  Associate 
Foundation.  The  Statutes  of  the  Associate  Found- 
ation were  submitted  at  tlie  same  time,  and,  after 
a  protracted  discussion,  and  one  or  two  adjourn- 
ments, these  also  were  accepted.  The  measure 
was  adopted  by  the  following  vote : 

"  That  this  Board,  deeply  impressed  with  the  magnitude  of 
the  objects  of  the  donations  presented,  and  with  the  goodness 
•of  God  in  putting  it  into  the  hearts  of  his  servants,  the  Associ- 
ate Founders,  to  give  so  liberally  to  the  offerings  of  the  Lord, 
•do  cheerfully  accept  the  same  for  the  purposes  and  upon  the 
terms  and  conditions  expressed  in  the  same  instrument,  and 
that  we  do  covenant  and  engage  faithfully  to  execute  the  said 
trust  reposed  in  us  agreeably  to  the  said  Statutes,  and  that  we 
will  cordially  and  actively'  co-operate  with  the  said  Founders  in 
the  promotion  of  an  object  so  intimately'  connected  with  the 
glory  of  God,  and  inconceivably  momentous  to  the  present 
and  future  generations  of  men,  in  relation  both  to  time  and 
eternity." 

At  this  meeting  Dr.  Morse  handed  to  the  Trus- 
tees Mr.  Woods'  letter  of  acceptance  of  the 
Abbot  Professorship  of  Christian  Theology,  dated 
27  April. 

The  opening  of  the  Seminary  and  the  inau- 
guration of  the  two  Professors  took  place  on  the 
28th  of  September.    The  following  account  of 


AXDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEmXARY. 


107 


the  public  services  appeared  in  the  Panoplist  of 
that  month : 

Andovcr,  September  28,  1808.  This  day  the  Theological 
Institution  established  in  this  town  was  opened  with  the  follow- 
ing appropriate  solemnities: 

"  The  Morning  Exercises  commenced  with  a  Prayer  by  the 
Kcv.  Mr.  French.  This  was  followed  by  an  Historical  Sum- 
mary of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Phillips  Academy,  by  Dr. 
Pearson.  After  this  the  Constitution  of  the  Theological 
Academy  was  read  by  Dr.  Pearson,  the  Statutes  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Founders,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morse,  and  the  Additional 
Statutes  of  the  Founders,  by  llev.  Mr.  Dana,  of  Ncwburyjwrt. 

"  In  the  afternoon  Divine  service  was  opened  with  prayer  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Dana.  A  Sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Dr. 
D  WIGHT  from  JIatthewxiii.,  52:  '  Therefore  every  Scribe  which 
is  instructed  unto  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,'  etc.  To  this  suc- 
ceeded the  Ordination  of  Dr.  Pearson.  The  Consecrating 
Prayer,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Sprino  ;  the  Charge,  by  Rev.  Mr. 
French;  and  the  Right  Hand  of  Fellowship,  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Mouse. 

"  After  the  Ordination  was  6nished,  the  Creed  was  read  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Spring  and  repeated  and  assented  to  by  the  Pro- 
fessors. Rev.  Dr.  Pearson  was  then  declared  to  be  a  l*rofessor 
in  this  Institution,  and  invested  with  the  rights  of  office  by  Dr. 
DwiGHT,  and  Rev.  Leonard  Woods  by  Dr.  Pearson. 

"  Professor  Woods  then  delivered  his  Inaugural  Oration,  on 
the  Glory  and  Excellency  of  the  Gospel. 

"  Professor  Pearson,  in   consequence  of  ill  health  and 

fatigue,  was  obliged  to  decline  delivering  his  Oration.  The 

solemnities  were  concluded  with  a  Prayer  by  Dr.  Dwight. 
*  •  •  •  *  •  * 

"  The  Assembly,  convened  from  various  parts  of  our  country, 

on  this  novel  and  interesting  occasion,  was  numerous  and 

highly  respectable. 

*»••••• 

•*  The  aospicioos  commencement  of  an  Institution,  so  im- 
portant to  the  interests  of  religion  and  our  country,  will,  we 
hope,  prove  x  bright  morning  of  a  prosperous  day." 


108  AXDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINART. 


Dr.  Morse  had  an  important  agency  also  in  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  Griffin  as  Bartlett  Professor 
of  Pulpit  Eloquence.  It  has  already  been  noticed 
that,  as  early  as  January,  1807,  he  had,  through 
Dr.  Rodgers,  inquired  of  Dr.  Miller  whether  he 
would  accept  a  Professorship  in  the  then  pro- 
posed Seminary,  to  which  Dr.  M.  had  returned 
a  decided  negative.  Before  the  close  of  that 
year  he  made  two  visits  to  New  York,  the  object 
of  each  of  which  was,  partlj'^  at  least,  to  secure  a 
suitable  Professor;  and  the  followiug  extract  of 
a  letter  from  Dr.  Miller  to  Dr.  Griffin,  then  of 
Newark,  dated  November  4th,  shows  the  direc- 
tion in  which  Dr.  Morse's  thoughts  were  turned 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  object: 

"  I  wish  very  luuch  to  see  you  on  some  particular  and  very 
important  business.  Can  3-ou  not  coiuc  in  next  week, — if  only 
you  can  spend  an  hour  with  me.  It  is  on  a  subject  on  which 
Dr  Morse  earnestly  desired  me  to  converse  with  you,  and  in 
which  he  thinks  the  evangelical  interests  of  Massachusetts,  and 
even  of  New  England,  are  deeply  involved," 

Again,  on  the  24th  of  November,  he  writes 
thus: 

"  Dr.  Morse  wishes  me  to  converse  with  you  on  two  points. 
The  first  is  a  Theological  Seminary  in  Massachusetts.  When 
he  last  saw  you  that  Institution  existed  only  in  design.  Now 
very  large  funds  are  actually  secured,  and  the  organization 
is  commenced.  There  are  five  Professorships :  of  Natural 
Theology  ;  of  Christian  Theology ;  of  Biblical  Criticism ;  of 
Ecclesiastical  History  ;  of  Sacred  Eloquence.  Two  are  already 
filled — Mr.  Woods  is  Professor  of  Christian  Theology,  and  Dr. 
Pearson,  of  Harvard  College,  is  Professor  of  Biblical  Criticism. 
The  other  three  are  wished,  by  the  gentlemen  who  take  the 


ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


109 


lead  in  this  business,  to  be  got  from  the  Middle  and  Southern 

States. 

"The  second  subject  is  this:  Some  worthy  and  influential 
gentlemen,  devoted  to  the  interests  of  evangelical  truth,  propose 
to  build  a  large  and  handsome  church  in  the  heart  of  Boston, 
and  to  call  one,  if  not  two,  able,  evangelical  and  decided  men 
to  undertake  the  pastoral  charge  ;  and  to  make  this,  like  the 
Seminary,  a  centre  of  Orthodox  operations.  The  persons  con- 
cerned also  wish  to  get  a  Pastor  for  this  Church  from  the 
Southward. 

"  Dr.  Morse  and  his  friends,  before  he  left  Boston,  had  con- 
versed respecting  several  Southern  gentlemen  for  the  above 
place.  At  New  Haven  he  and  Dr.  Dwight  conferred,  and  the 
result  was  a  determination  to  turn  their  eyes  toward  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen — Mr.  Griffin  of  Newark,  Mr.  Bomcyn  of 
Albany,  Messrs.  Abecl  and  Miller  of  New  York.  You  have 
the  whole  matter  before  you. 

"  Dr.  Morse  is  much  engaged  on  these  subjects.  lie  informs 
me  that  the  funds  of  both  institutions  will  be  ample,  and  that 
discerning,  pious  people  think  they  see  in  those  institutions 
great  and  permanent  benefit  likely  to  redound  to  the  interests 
of  religion  in  Massachusetts  and  New  England,  and  perhaps  in 
the  United  States.  He  considers  whoever  is  invited  to  take 
part  in  these  institutions,  as  having  a  call  not  easily  or  lightly 
to  be  put  aside. 

"The  Evangelical  men  in  Massachusetts  have  also  organized 
a  General  Association,  between  which  and  our  (Presbyterian) 
General  Assembly  they  mean  to  propose  a  system  of  inter- 
courso  and  co-operation.  All  these  may  be  considered  as  parts 
of  one  great  whole,  the  object  of  which  is  to  promote  the 
interests  of  truth. 

"  The  plan  of  establishing  a  new  church  in  Boston  is  not  at 
present  ripe  enough  to  be  freely  spoken  of.  Please  consider  it 
in  confidence. 

P.  S.  Dr.  Morse  earnestly  wishes  you  to  visit  Charlestown 
and  Boston  as  soon  as  possible." 


Accordingly  Dr.  Griffin,  and  with  him  the  Rev. 
10 


110 


ANDOVER  TnEOLOGICAL  6EMIXAKY. 


Henry  Kollock,  D.  D.,  of  Savannah,  visited  Ando- 
ver  and  Boston  in  the  summer  of  1808;  and  then 
it  was  proposed  that  Dr.  Kollock  should  take  the 
pastorate  of  tlie  Church  in  Boston,  and  Dr.  Griffin 
the  Professorship  at  Andover.  The  latter  was 
accordingly  appointed ;  but  he  delayed  his  ac- 
ceptance on  the  ground  that  he  wished  to  unite 
the  two  offices  of  Co  pastor  at  Boston  (for  it 
seems  to  have  been  originally  contemplated  that 
that  should  be  a  collegiate  charge)  and  Professor 
at  Andover.  This  proposal  did  not  suit  the 
views  of  the  Donors,  but  a  compromise  was  finally 
entered  into  to  this  eflect — that  the  Professor 
might  preach  during  half  the  year  in  Boston, 
where  also  he  might  reside  for  four  months  in  the 
year.  On  these  conditions  Dr.  Griffin  accepted 
the  Professorship  late  in  March,  1809,  and  was 
inaujxurated  on  the  20th  of  June  followinor. 

Dr.  Pearson,  from  some  cause  which  perhaps 
is  not  well  defined,  but  which  some  have  supposed 
to  have  been  a  feeling  of  disappointment  that 
the  Seminary,  after  commencing  its  operations, 
seemed  to  lean  too  much  towards  Ilopkinsian- 
ism, — retained  his  position  as  Professor  but  little 
more  than  a  year.  lie,  however,  held  his  office 
as  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Phillips 
Academy  until  his  death,  in  1826.  Dr.  Morse 
also  remained  a  member  of  the  Board  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  the  same  year ;  but  he 
did  not  share  the  apprehensions  of  his  friend 
that  the  Seminary  had  not  realized  the  advan- 
tages of  the  Plan  of  Union.    Not  only  as  Trustee, 


.  ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


Ill 


but  in  his  private  capacity,  he  was  always  ready 
to  do  his  utmost  in  the  way  of  devising  and  exe- 
cuting measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  Institution. 

Dr.  Morse's  agency  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Andover  Seminary  may  perhaps  be  summed  up 
in  the  following  statement — That  he  was  con- 
cerned in  the  idea  of  the  origination  of  the  Insti- 
tution; that,  as  one  of  the  Trustees  of  Phillips 
Academj^  he  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in 
connecting  the  project  with  the  Academy;  that 
his  hand  is  to  be  traced  in  much  that  was  done 
at  Andover  during  the  first  year,  especially  in 
drawing  up  the  Constitution ;  that  to  him  is 
chiefly  due  the  comprehensive  and  liberal  policy 
of  embracing  the  different  classes  of  Calvinists 
in  the  grand  enterprise ;  that  when  the  Ilopkins- 
ians  projected  a  similar  Institution,  on  a  narrower 
basis,  it  was  in  a  great  degree  through  his  influ- 
ence that  a  course  of  measures  was  inausru rated 
and  successfully  prosecuted  for  bringing  them  to 
co-operate  with  the  other  party ;  that  when,  in 
carrying  out  the  Articles  of  agreement,  new 
difliculties  arose  at  every  step,  they  were  obviated 
chiefly  by  his  great  sagacity  and  untiring  eftbrt ; 
that  when,  ui.der  his  advisement,  those  Articles 
had  been  embodied  by  the  two  classes  of  Donors  in 
their  respective  Statutes,  he  was  chiefly  instru- 
mental of  securing  their  adoption  by  the  Trustees 
of  the  Academy,  by  which  the  foundation  was 
completed ;  and,  finally,  that  he  took  part  in  the 
opening  of  the  Seminary,  and  remained  till  the 
close  of  life  its  active  friend  and  supporter.  In 


112  ESTABLISHMENT  OP  PARK  ST.  CHURCn. 


view  of  this  array  of  facts  it  admits  of  no  ques- 
tion that  he  had  a  most  important  agency  in 
originating  and  giving  complexion  to  this  vener- 
able institution. 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  PARK  STREET  CHURCH,  BOSTON. 

The  project  for  establishing  Park  Street  Church 
originated  as  early  as  1807.  As  it  was  designed 
especially  to  sustain  the  interests  of  Orthodoxy 
in  the  capital  of  New  England,  Dr.  Morse,  as 
was  to  be  expected,  not  only  sympathized  with, 
but  lent  his  active  influence  to,  the  enterprise. 
On  a  visit  which  he  made  to  New  York  in  Octo- 
ber, 1807,  he  was  requested,  in  the  prospect  of 
the  formation  of  the  Church,  by  several  influential 
gentlemen  who  were  to  be  connected  with  it,  to 
endeavour  to  find  some  one  suitable  to  become 
its  Pastor.  Dr.  Miller  was  first  applied  to,  but 
could  not  be  persuaded  even  to  entertain  the  idea 
of  a  separation  from  his  own  charge.  Proposals 
were  then  made  to  Dr.  KoUock,  of  Savannah, 
who,  as  has  been  already  stated,  visited  Boston  in 
the  Summer  of  1808,  and  made  an  impression  by 
his  preaching  so  favourable  that  an  invitation 
was  at  once  extended  to  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  proposed  Society.  This  invitation  he  was 
at  first  strongly  inclined  to  accept;  and  indi- 
cated his  half  formed  purpose  to  this  efl*ect,  in 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Morse,  Avritten  shortly  after  his 
return  to  Georgia ;  but,  upon  more  mature  reflec- 
tion, he  was  led  to  a  different  view  of  the  case, 


ESTABLISnMENT  OF  PARK  ST.  CIIURCH.  113 


and  in  September  following  returned  a  negative 
answer. 

Meanwhile  measures  were  taken  to  organize 
the  Church,  and  a  subscription  w  as  opened  for 
building  a  house  of  worship.  On  the  evening  of 
the  Gth  of  February.  1809,  ten  individuals  met  at 
the  house  of  Willi.ara  Thurston  Esq.,  afterwards 
a  Trustee  ;  and  a  Committee  appointed  by  them 
framed  the  strictly  Calvinistic  Confession  of 
Faith,  subsequently  adopted  and  still  used  by 
that  Church. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  at  the  invitation  of 
this  Committee,  were  assembled  at  Mr.  Thurston's 
the  Pastors  of  the  three  churches  in  Charlestown, 
Cambridge  and  Dorchester,  each  accompanied  by 
a  lay  delegate  ;  and  by  this  Ecclesiastical  Council 
the  new  Church  was  organized,  consisting  of  twen- 
ty-six members.  The  Sermon  on  tlic  occasion  was 
preached  by  Dr.  Morse  from  Ps.  cxviii,  25:  "  Save, 
now,  I  beseech  thee,  O  Lord ;  O  Lord,  I  beseech 
thee,  send  now  prosperity."  The  Old  ^  outh  Church 
and  the  Federal  Street  Church  in  Boston  were 
also  invited  to  be  on  the  Council,  but  declined. 

The  new  Church  was  organized  in  March,  and 
the  corner-stone  of  the  new  edifice  was  Laid  in 
the  beginning  of  May  following,  the  Prayer  and 
Address  on  the  occasion  being  by  the  Rev.  Drs. 
Holmes  and  Morse.  The  building  was  dedicated 
the  next  winter  while  Dr.  Morse  was  on  a  visit 
to  South  Carolina.  Dr.  Griffin,  who  preached  on 
the  occasion,  writes  thus  to  him  under  date  of 
17  January,  1810 : 


114  ESTABUSmiENT  OP  PARK  ST.  CHURCH. 


*'  On  the  10th  oar  new  church  was  dedicated,  and  the  con« 
tract  between  the  Church  and  myself  explained  and  publicly 
renewed.  Mr.  Codnian  began  the  exercises  of  the  day  by  read- 
ing an  Anthem,  and  then  made  a  Dedicatory  Prayer.  Mr. 
Huntington  followed  the  Sermon  with  a  Prayer  and  a  Psalm. 
Dr.  Holmes  then  explained  the  contract,  and  led  the  parties  to 
a  public  renewal  of  it,  and  then  prayed.  The  whole  was  con- 
cluded with  the  ble»>in;r.  The  hoiLse  was  filled.  Next  Monday 
is  the  day  appointed  for  the  sale  of  our  pews.  It  is  believed 
we  shall  sell  from  seventy  to  a  hundred  the  first  day.  Last 
night  the  Church  voted  to  give  Dr.  Nott  a  call." 

Dr.  Morse  was  informed  by  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Thurston  of  the  4th  of  April  that  this  call  had 
been  declined,  but  that  it  was  renewed,  and  he 
Avas  requested  to  write  to  Dr.  Nott,  to  induce 
him,  if  possible,  still  to  accept  it.  On  hearing  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Mason's  resicnation  of  liis  pastoral 
charge  of  the  First  Associate  Reformed  Cliurch 
in  New  York  city,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  him 
from  Charleston.  S.  C,  on  the  2'jth  of  April, 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract: 

"  If  your  i>lans  are  not  already  formed,  and  3-ou  can  suspend, 
till  I  see  you  next  mouth,  your  determination  as  to  your  future 
course,  I  pra}'  j-ou  to  do  it.  Perhaps  Providence  intends 
Boston,  Audover  or  Cambridge  as  the  scene  of  your  future 
labours.  Here  3'ou  know  is  a  wide  and  most  important  field  of 
usefuluess.  Should  j'our  way  be  directed  thither,  my  heart 
would  be  encouraged  more  than  you  can  imagine,  to  go  home 
and  renew  my  labors  with  you  in  that  part  of  the  vineyard  of 
our  Lord,  which  is  so  awfully  overrun  with  error  and  torn  by 
divisions.  I  hope  jour  views  have  been  toward  Boston.  If 
not,  turn  them,  I  pray  you  seriously,  that  way." 


Late  in  the  summer.  Dr.  Morse  met  the  pew 
proprietors  of  Park  Street  Church,  at  their  re- 


THE  DORCHESTER  CONTROVERST. 


115 


quest,  as  their  Moderator,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
curring with  the  church  members  who  had  voted 
unanimously  a  second  time  to  call  Dr.  Nott.  At 
the  close  of  the  meeting,  the  Moderator  Avas 
requested  to  write  and  urge  Dr.  Nott  to  accept 
the  call.  With  this  request  he  complied,  but  to 
no  purpose,  as  the  call  was  again  declined. 

Dr.  Griffin  had  continued  to  supply-  the  pulpit 
after  the  dedication  of  the  church,  as  far  as  his 
engagements  at  Andover  would  allow.  After  Dr. 
KoUock  had  declined  their  call  in  September, 
1809,  a  call  was  presented  to  Dr.  Griffin,  which 
he  also  declined ;  but  it  was  renewed  in  Febru- 
ary, 1811.  After  hesitating  for  a  long  time,  he 
resigned  his  Professorship  at  Andover,  and  was 
installed  Pastor  of  Park  Street  Church  on  the 
31st  of  July,  1811.  The  Sermon  on  the  occasion 
was  preached  by  Dr.  Worcester,  of  Salem,  and  the 
Introductory  Prayer  was  offered  by  Dr.  Morse. 
The  establishment  of  this  church  Dr.  M.  regarded 
as  marking  an  epoch  in  the  religious  history  of 
New  England. 

THE  DORCHESTER  CONTROVERSY. 

From  October,  1811,  till  May,  1812,  Dr.  Morse 
was  actively  engaged  in  assisting  his  friend,  the 
Rev.  John  Codman,  of  Dorchester,  in  the  prose- 
cution of  a  controversy  which  threatened,  at  one 
time,  to  drive  him  from  his  pulpit.  Mr.  Codraau 
was  settled  on  the  7th  of  December,  1808,  as 
Pastor  of  the  Second  Church  and  Congregation, 
then  lately  organized  in  Dorchester.    While  a 


116 


THE  DORCHESTER  CONTROVERSY. 


student  of  Divinity  at  Hingham,  under  the  Rev. 
Henry  Ware,  (afterwards  Professor  in  Harvard 
College),  in  1803,  four  printed  sermons,  on  Pre- 
destination, by  the  Rev.  William  Cooper,  of  Brat- 
tle Street  Church,  Boston,  were  put  into  his 
hands,  with  a  request  by  his  teacher  that  he 
would  write  a  Review  of  them  for  the  Monthly 
Antholog3\  But,  on  perusing  them,  he  became 
a  convert  to  the  doctrine  that  he  was  expected 
to  condemn,  and,  though  he  wrote  the  Review, 
as  requested,  it  appeared,  not  in  the  Monthly 
Anthology,  but  in  the  Panoplist.*  His  convic- 
tions in  favour  of  the  Orthodox  s^'stem  were 
subsequently  rendered  clearer  and  stronger  by  a 
residence  for  some  time  in  Edinburgh,  and  an 
attendance  on  the  Theological  Lectures  in  con- 
nection with  the  Universit}'^  there. 

After  his  settlement  in  Dorchester  he  came  to 
have  scruples  in  respect  to  indiscriminate  ex- 
changes with  the  surroun<ling  clergy,  on  the 
ground  that  a  portion  of  them  h.ad  abandoned 
doctrines  which  he  regarded  as  fundamental  in 
the  Christian  system.  This  course  proved  offen- 
sive to  some  prominent  persons  in  his  congrega- 
tion, and  their  complaints  ripened  into  personal 
charges,  which,  on  the  30th  of  October,  1811,  a 
Mutual  Council  was  called  to  adjudicate. 

The  Letter  Missive  to  the  Churches  repre- 
sented on  the  occasion,  is  dated  4  October,  and 
runs  thus :  "  to  hear  and  determine  certain  arti- 


•  Vol.  I.,  No.  1,  for  June,  1805. 


THE  DORCHESTER  (X)XTROVERSY. 


117 


cles  of  charge  presented  by  certain  aggrieved 
brethren  of  the  Church,  and  the  Parish  Com- 
mittee against  their  Pastor."  When  Dr.  Lyman, 
who  was  one  of  the  ministers  selected,  received 
the  letter,  in  the  expectation  of  not  responding 
to  the  call  by  personal  attend  ince,  he  addressed 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Morse,  complaining  of  the  very 
limited  powers  with  which  the  Council  were  in- 
vested, and  reprobating  the  course  which  the 
liberal  party  were  disposed  to  pursue.  He,  how- 
ever, in  consequence  of  being  informed  that  his 
absence  "  might  impede  the  course  of  justice, 
and  destroy  the  equality  necessary  to  give  con- 
tentment and  safety  to  parties  in  a  controversy," 
changed  his  purpose,  made  the  journey  to  Dor- 
chester, and  took  his  seat  in  the  Council. 

When  the  Council  convened,  it  consisted  of 
twelve  Pastors,  each  with  a  lay  delegate.  As 
half  of  these  were  chosen  by  the  Complainants 
and  half  by  the  Pastor,  they  took  their  com- 
plexion accordingly.*  When  called  to  decide 
whether  there  was  just  cause  of  complaint  against 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Codman  for  having  neglected  to 
exchange  ministerial  labours  with  the  ministers 
of  the  Boston  Association  generally,  they  were 


•  The  names  of  the  Pastors  were  as  follows:  Chosen  by  the  complain- 
ants: Rev.  John  Reed,  D.  D.,  Bridgewater ;  Rov.  R.  R.  Eliot,  Water- 
town;  Rev.  Thomas  Thachcr,  Dcdham;  Rev.  Aaron  Bancroft,  D.  D.. 
Worcester;  Rev.  Samuel  Kendall,  D.  D.,  Western.  Chosen  by  the 
Pastor:  Rev.  Thomas  Prentiss,  D.  D.,  MedQeld;  Rev.  Joseph  Lyman, 
D.  D.,  Hatfield;  Rev.  William  Greenongh,  Newton;  Rev.  Samuel 
Austin,  D.  D.,  Worcester;  Rev.  Jcdidiah  Morse,  D.  D.,  Charlestowo; 
Rev.  Samuel  Worcester,  D.  D.,  Salem. 


118  THE  DORCHESTER  CONTROVERSY. 


equally  divided,  after  a  session  of  ten  days,  so 
that  they  left  the  case  substantially  as  they 
found  it. 

Mr.  Codman's  friends  were  not  a  little  en- 
couraged by  this  result  to  hope  that  the  contro- 
versy would  now  cease,  and  that  he  would  be 
unembarrassed  in  the  exercise  of  his  own  dis- 
cretion in  respect  to  the  matter  of  exchanges ; 
but  in  this  they  were  disappointed.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  continued  dissatisfaction  of  the 
Liberal  party,  the  Pastor  and  his  friends  united 
with  them  in  calling  another  Mutual  Council, 
which  convened  on  the  12th  of  May,  1812.  This 
Council  was  constituted  like  the  former,  half 
Liberal  and  half  Orthodox.  The  only  question 
presented  was, — '*  Is  it  expedient  that  the  minis- 
terial and  pastoral  relation  between  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Codman  and  the  Second  Parish  in  Dorchester  be 
dissolved  ?"  The  casting  vote  was  given  by  the 
Moderator,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Lathrop,  of  West 
Springfield,  and  was  in  the  negative ;  so  that 
Mr.  Codman  still  remained  Pastor.  But  the 
Moderator  had  appended  to  his  decision  the  fol- 
lowing note : 

"  I  gave  my  vote  in  the  negative  on  a  full  belief  and  strong 
persuasion  that,  from  this  time  forward,  Mr.  Codman  would 
open  a  more  free  and  liberal  intercourse  with  his  ministerial 
brethren,  and  thus  remove  the  only  objection  alleged  against 
him,  and  the  only  reason  urged  for  his  dismission.  If  his 
future  conduct  should  be  the  same  as  in  time  past  in  this  respect, 
I  should  be  much  disappointed  and  grieved ;  and  if  I  should 
find  myself  thus  disappointed,  I  should  certainly  have  no  hesi- 


THE  DORCHESTER  COXTKOVEKSY. 


119 


tancy  in  giving  my  vote  for  his  dismission,  if  called  in  Pro- 
vidence to  give  my  voice  on  the  question." 

This  note  was  regarded  by  Mr.  Codiiian*s 
friends  as  of  somewhat  dubious  import,  though 
Mr,  C.  subsequently  recei\ed'  an  explanation  of 
it  from  the  writer  that  must  have  relieved  him, 
in  some  degree,  of  his  embarrassment.  Two 
months  later  the  Parish  Committee  addressed  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Codman,  claiming  that  the  Council 
had  sanctioned  their  complaints,  and  demanding 
a  categorical  answer  whether  or  not  he  intended 
to  exchange  indiscriminately  with  twelve  minis- 
ters (naming  them)  of  the  Boston  Association, 
lie  showed  the  letter  to  his  friend,  Dr.  Morse, 
who  made  it  the  subject  of  a  communication  to 
Dr.  Lathrop,  in  which  he  expresses  the  fears  he 
had  entertained  from  the  first  tliat  the  meaning 
of  his  note  would  be  perverted,  and  assures  Dr. 
Lathrop  that,  in  the  state  of  ecclesiastical  affairs 
in  tlie  region  of  Boston,  the  declining  to  exchange 
freely  with  all  the  Congregational  ministers 
around  him  was  not  a  sufficient  reason  for  depriv- 
ing a  church  of  a  Pastor  to  whom  they  were 
tenderly  attached,  who  filled  an  important  sphere 
of  influence,  and  whose  labours  had  been  abund- 
antly blessed.    lie  adds : 

"  If  such  a  principle  were  admitted  as  correct,  there  is  not 
a  faithful  minister  in  this  whole  region,  holding  the  doctrines 
which  you  hold,  Sir,  who  would  be  permitted  long  to  remain  in 
his  station.  In  every  parish  there  would  be  found  a  sufficient 
number,  (at  least  as  many  as  existed  originally  in  the  Dor- 
chester Society,  which  did  not  exceed  three  or  four,)  on  this 
principle  to  remove  him." 


120  PAMPHLET  OX  AMF.RTCAX  CNITARIANISM. 


The  dissatisfied  members  continued  for  a  few 
months  longer  to  urge  Mr.  Codman*s  dismission ; 
but  at  length,  in  December,  1812,  they  accepted 
the  terras  of  compromise,  which  had  been  previ- 
ously offered  them,  and,  their  pews  being  pur- 
chased at  cost  by  the  Pastor  and  his  friends,  they 
withdrew  their  names  from  the  parish  roll. 
Thus  terminated  a  controversy  of  about  a  year 
and  a  half,  which  was  the  first  decisive  step 
towards  the  division  of  the  Confirreicational  min- 
isters  of  Massachusetts. 

PUBLISHING  THE  PAMPHLET  ON  AMERICAN  UNITARIANISM. 

In  the  spring  of  1816,  Dr.  Morse  learned, 
through  one  of  his  sons,  that  a  book  had  lately 
been  issued  from  the  London  press,  containing  an 
account  of  Unitarianism  in  this  country — it  was 
the  Memoir  of  the  Life  of  Theophilus  Lindsey  by 
Thomas  Belsham.  On  obtaining  the  loan  of  a 
copy  of  this  work  from  a  gentleman  in  Boston,  he 
found,  as  had  been  reported  to  him,  a  chapter 
devoted  to  the  History  of  American  Unitarian- 
ism. This  chapter  he  caused  to  be  transcribed, 
and  published  in  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "  Ame- 
rican Unitarianism,  or  a  Brief  History  of  the 
Progress  and  Present  State  of  the  Unitarian 
Churches  in  America,  compiled  from  Documents 
and  Information  communicated  by  the  Rev. 
James  Freeman.  D.  D.,  and  William  Wells,  Jr. 
Esq.,  of  Boston,  and  from  other  Unitarian  gentle- 
men in  this  country  By  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Belsham,  Essex  Street,  London.  Extracted  from 


P^VSIPHLET  ON  AilERIC.VN  UXITARIAXISM. 


121 


the  *  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  the  Rev.  Theophilus 
Lindsey,'  published  in  London  in  1812,  and  now 
published  for  the  benefit  of  the  Christian  Churches 
in  this  country,  without  note  or  alteration." 

First  in  the  pamphlet  appear  Letters  of  Dr. 
Freeman,  containing  an  account  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Unitarian  Liturgy  in  the  Stone  Chapel, 
and  other  events  in  the  progress  of  Unitarianism 
in  this  country  previous  to  the  year  1800.  These 
letters  contain  also  accounts  of  some  later  at- 
tempts to  form  a  few  Unitarian  churches  in  the 
States  of  Maine,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania.  Then  follows  a  letter 
from  William  Wells,  Jr.,  Esq.,  dated  Boston,  21 
March,  1812,  from  which  the  following  is  an 
extract : 

"  With  regard  to  the  progress  of  Unitarianism,  .  .  its  teneta 
have  spread  very  extensively  in  New  England,  but  I  believe  there 
is  only  one  church  professedly  Unitarian.  .  .  3Iost  of  our  Boston 
clergy  and  respectable  laymen  (of  whom  we  have  many  enlight- 
ened theologians)  are  Unitarian.  Nor  do  they  think  it  at  all 
necessary  to  conceal  their  sentiments  upon  these  subjects,  but  ex- 
press them  without  the  least  hesitation  when  they  judge  it  proper. 
I  may  safely  say,  the  general  habit  of  thinking  and  speaking 
upon  this  question  in  Boston  is  Unitarian.  At  the  same  time, 
the  controversy  is  seldom  or  never  introduced  into  the  pulpit. 
I  except  the  Stone  Chapel  Church.  If  publications  make  their 
appearance  attacking  Unitarian  sentiments,  they  are  commonly 
answered  with  spirit  and  ability;  but  the  majority  of  those 
who  are  Unitarians  are  perhaps  of  those  sentiments  without  any 
.distinct  consciousness  of  being  so.  Like  the  first  ChriRtians, 
finding  no  sentiments  bat  these  in  the  New  Testament,  and  not 
accustomed  to  hear  the  language  of  the  New  Testament  strained 
and  warped  by  theological  system-makers,  they  adopt  naturally 
a  just  mode  of  thinking.  This  state  of  things  appears  to  me  so 
11 


122         PAMPHLET  ON  AMERICAN  UNITABIANISM* 


favourable  to  the  dissemination  of  correct  sentiments,  that  I 
should  perhaps  regret  a  great  degree  of  excitement  in  the  pub- 
lie  mind  upon  these  subjects.  The  majority  would  eventually 
be  against  us.  The  ignorant,  the  violent,  the  ambitious,  and 
the  cunning,  would  carry  the  multitude  with  them  in  religion 
as  they  do  in  politics.  One  Dr.  M — ,  in  a  contest  for  spread- 
ing  his  own  sentiments  among  the  great  body  of  the  people, 
would,  at  least  for  a  time,  beat  ten  Priestleys." 

The  letter  goes  on  to  deprecate  controversy, 
and  to  give  reasons  why  it  should  be  avoided. 

Mr.  Belsham  thus  expresses  his  doubts  in 
respect  to  the  correctness  of  the  views  contained 
in  the  above  extract : 

"  Being  myself  a  friend  to  ingenuousness  and  candour,  I 
could  wish  to  see  all  who  are  truly  Unitarians,  openly  such,  and 
teaching  the  doctrine  of  the  simple,  indivisible  unity  of  God, 
as  well  as  to  practise  the  rites  of  Unitarian  worship.  But  I 
would  not  presume  to  judge  for  another.  There  may  possibly 
be  reasons  for  caution  which  do  not  occur  to  me,  and  of  which  I 
&m  not  competent  to  judge.  The  time,  however,  must  come, — 
perhaps  it  is  near, — when  truth  will  no  longer  endure  coufine- 

Though  the  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  Lindsey 
appeared  in  London  in  1812,  there  were  but  few 
individuals  in  this  country  who  knew  of  the 
existence  of  such  a  work  until  some  three  years 
after  its  publication.  One  of  these  was  John 
Adams,  as  appears  from  the  following  letter  of 
his  to  Thomas  Jefferson.  The  letter  to  which  he 
alludes  was  one  of  Jefferson's  to  Dr.  Priestley, 
contained  in  Belsham's  book : 

Braintree,  June  10,  1813. 

"Other  parts  of  this  letter  may  hereafter  be  considered,  if  I 
ean  keep  the  book  long  enough;  but  only  four  copies  have 


Pamphlet  on  American  unitarianism.  123 


arrived  in  Boston,  and  they  have  spread  terror,  as  jet  however 
in  secret." 

The  Pamphlet  is  introduced  to  the  American 
Public  by  the  following  Preface: 

'*  When  such  radical  and  essential  changes  take  place  in  the 
religion  of  a  couutrj  as  have  been  witnessed  in  some  parts  of 
New  England,  particularly  in  Boston  and  the  region  about  it, 
during  tlie  last  thirt}-  years,  it  is  gratifying  to  inquiring  minds 
to  know  from  correct  and  undisputed  sources  and  documents,  in 
what  manner  and  by  what  steps  such  changes  have  been  effected. 
The  Publishers  of  this  pamphlet  are  hap]>y  that  they  have  it  in 
their  power  to  satisfy  the  inquisitive  on  this  subject.  The 
information  desired  will  be  found  in  the  following  pages. 

"  It  is  proper  in  this  place  to  admonish  the  reader  that  it  is 
not  our  object  to  decide  the  great  question, — which  has  the 
preference, — the  old  faith  of  the  Fathers  of  New  England,  which 
Unitarians  (to  give  them  their  own  title)  reject  as  irrational 
and  unscriptural ;  or  that  which  they  have  desired,  under  the 
idea  of  reform,  to  introduce  into  its  place.  On  this  question 
every  one  in  this  land  of  freedom  of  opinion,  and  of  abundant 
means  of  information,  must  judge  for  himself.  To  his  own 
Master  each  must  stand  or  fall.  We  mean  here  to  offer  no 
opinion  of  our  own;  to  introduce  nothing  of  controversy;  but 
merely  to  give  a  plain  history  of  very  important  facts,  derived 
from  unquestionable  sources,  disclosing  the  instruments  and 
operations  by  which  these  great  and  visible  changes  in  the 
religious  faith  of  so  many  of  our  Clergy,  of  the  Churches,  and 
of  the  University,  in  this  part  of  New  England,  have  been 
accomplished.  This  publication  seems  now  to  be  required,  and 
even  necessary  ;  because  those  who  have  been  chiefly  concerned 
in  conducting  these  operations,  have  deemed  it  expedient  till 
this  stage  of  their  •  process,  to  conceal  from  the  mass  of  the 
Christian  community  their  ultimate  designs.  The  History, 
therefore,  which  we  now  lay  before  the  public,  will  be,  in  its 
most  material  parts,  new  to  most  of  our  readers,  and,  as  we 
believe,  interesting  to  all.  Though  this  History  is  now  before 
the  public,  we  are  not  quite  certain  that  all  the  advocates  of 


124  PAMPHLET  ON  AMERICAN  UNITARIANISM. 


the  changes  in  the  religion  of  our  country,  which  it  relates,  are 
agreed  as  to  the  expediency  and  seasonableness  of  the  present 
disclosure,  or  are  disposed  to  commend  Mr.  Belsham  for  making 
it,  in  the  manner  he  has  done,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
The  care  which  has  been  manifested  to  limit  the  knowledge  of 
this  extraordinary  work  during  many  months,  (probably  two 
j'eurs,)  since  its  arrival  in  Boston,  indicates  pretty  plainly  the 
unwillingness  of  those  who  possessed  copies  of  it,  to  have  its 
contents  generally  known.  On  this  subject,  however,  we  would 
not  be  positive.  Appearances  may  have  deceived  us.  The 
gentlemen  who  received  this  work  from  its  author,  may  have 
had  other  and  very  satisfactory  reasons  for  this  apparent  con- 
cealment of  it  for  so  long  a  period.  If  so,  we  mayj  and  we 
hope  we  shall,  receive  their  thanks,  and  the  thanks  also  of  other 
American  Unitarians,  in  bringing  before  the  public  their  own 
history  in  so  unexceptionable  a  form,  from  the  pen  of  a  man, 
considered  deservedly  as  standing  at  the  head  of  their  dcnomi- 
nation,  who  derived  his  facts  and  information  confessedly  from 
gentlemen  in  this  country,  who  were  best  acquainted  with  the 
subject ;  who  have  been  principals  in  the  History  which  they 
narrate,  and  who  wrote,  moreover,  evidentl}-  not  for  the  public 
eye,  but  only  for  the  information  of  private,  confidential  friends, 
and  of  course  what  they  conciiived  to  be  naked  and  undisguised 
truth.  Karely,  indeed,  has  the  Christian  public  been  favoured 
with  a  portion  of  history,  which  has  had  as  high  claims  to 
attention  and  credit,  for  the  reasons  above  stated,  as  that  which 
is  contained  in  the  following  pages.  We  may,  therefore,  with- 
out presumption,  anticipate  the  pleasure  we  shall  afford  to  all 
denominations  of  Christians  by  giving  them,  in  a  cheap  form, 
this  very  interesting  portion  of  ecclesiastical  history. 

"  We  have  another  reason  for  making  this  publication. 
Many  complaints  have  been  made  that  the  Boston  clergy  are 
'  slanderously  reported  '  to  be  Unitarians.  This  pamphlet  will 
show  who  are  the  'slanderers,'  if  indeed  they  deserve  this 
epithet,  and  exculpate  some  who  have  been  falsely  accused  in 
this  thing." 

The  pamphlet  excited  great  interest,  as  was 
indicated  by  the  fact  that,  within  a  little  more 


PAMPITLET  ON  AMERICAN  UNITARIANISM.  125 


than  a  month,  five  editions,  of  five  hundred  each, 
Avere  printed  and  sold.  Dr.  Morse  sent  a  copy 
to  John  Adams,  not  aware  evidently  that  he  had 
any  previous  knowledge  of  the  book,  accompanied 
with  the  following  note  : 

"  10  May.  The  enclosed  pamphlet  may  not  have  fallen 
under  your  eye.  It  contains  some  things  which  may  amuse  and 
interest  you." 

It  brought  from  the  venerable  statesman  this 
characteristic  replj^  which  is  here  given  entire, 
though  part  of  it  has  already  been  quoted : 

[**  This  letter  must  not  be  printed."] 

"  QuixcY,  May  15,  1815. 
*'  Dear  Doctor:  I  thank  you  for  your  favour  of  the  10th  and 
the  pamphlet  enclosed, — '  American  Unitarianism.'     I  have 
turned  over  its  leaves  and  found  nothing  that  was  not  familiarly 
known  to  me. 

"  In  the  Preface  Unitarianism  is  represented  as  only  thirty 
years  old  in  New  England.  I  can  testify  as  a  witness  to  its 
old  age.  Sixty-five  years  ago,  my  own  minister,  the  Kev. 
Samuel  Bryant,  Dr.  Jonathan  3Iayhcw,  of  the  West  Church  in 
Boston,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shute,  of  Hingham,  the  Rev.  John  Brown, 
of  Cohasset,  and  perhaps  equal  to  all,  if  not  above  all,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  (ray,  of  Hingham,  were  Unitarians. 

"Among  the  Loit}-,  how  many  could  I  name,  Lawyers, 
Physicians,  Tradesmen,  Farmers.  I  could  fill  a  sheet,  but  at 
present  will  name  only  one,  Richard  Cranch,  a  man  who  had 
studied  Divinity,  Jewish  and  Christian  Antiquities,  more  than 
any  clergyman  now  existing  in  New  England. 

"  More  than  fifty  years  ago,  I  read  Dr.  Samuel  Clark, 
Emlyn  and  Dr.  Waterland.  Do  you  expect,  my  dear  Doctor, 
to  teach  me  any  thing  new  in  favour  of  Athanasianism  ? 

"  There  is,  my  dear  Doctor,  at  present  existing  in  the  world 
a  Church  Philosophic  as  subtle  and  learned,  and  as  hjrpocritical, 
as  the  Holy  Roman  Catholic,  Apostolic  and  (Ecumenical 


126  PAMPHLET  as  AUEBICAX  UNITARL&NI8M^ 


Church.  This  Philosophical  Church  was  originally  English; 
Voltaire  learned  it  from  Lord  Herbert,  Hobbs,  Morgan,  Col- 
lins, Shaftsbury,  Bolingbroke,  Sic.  You  may  depend  upon  it 
your  exertions  will  promote  the  Church  Philosophic  more  than 
the  Church  Athanasian  or  Presbyterian. 

"  This  and  the  coming  age  will  not  be  ruled  by  InquLsitlons 
and  Jesuits.  The  restoration  of  Napoleon  has  been  caused  by 
the  resuscitation  of  Inquisitions  and  Jesuits. 

"  I  am  and  wish  to  be  your  friend, 

*'  Rev.  Dr.  Morse.  JOHN  ADAMS." 

How  this  letter  came  to  be  published,  in  face 
of  the  distinct  prohibition  at  the  beginning,  is 
thus  explained  by  Dr.  Morse  : 

"  9  September,  1815.  I  find  that  a  copy  of  your  letter  (not 
from  me)  has  found  its  way  on  Change  in  Boston,  and  copies  have 
been  multiplied  and  sent  into  different  parts  of  the  country. 
In  these  circumstances,  I  presume.  Sir,  you  will  have  no  objec- 
tion to  its  being  printed.  Otherwise,  it  may  produce  effects, 
from  the  manner  in  which  it  was  circulated,  which  were  not 
anticipated  by  you,  and  which  it  would  not  be  pleasant  to  me 
to  contemplate.  I  had  no  expectation  nor  design  to  enlist  you. 
Sir,  in  the  controversy,  when  I  sent  you  the  Pamphlet ;  but  I 
supposed  merely  that  the  letters  of  Dr.  Priestley  and  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son particularly  might  amuse  you.  Such  an  answer  to  my 
letter  and  communication  was  not  expected.  But  the  informa- 
tion it  contains  is  highly  important  and  very  interesting,  and 
such  as  I  should  be  very  glad,  with  your  permission,  to  lay 
before  the  public.  Any  further  iuformation  which  you  may 
possess  on  this  subject  will  be  gratefully  received." 

The  publication  of  this  pamphlet  proved  the 
harbinger  of  a  controversy  that  was  continued 
through  several  years,  being  conducted  chiefly 
by  Dr.  Worcester,  Professors  Woods  and  Stuart, 
and  Mr.  Evarts,  the  Editor  ot  the  Panoplist,  on 
the  Orthodox  side,  while  Dr.  Channing,  Professor 


PAMPHLET  ON  AMERIOAN  UNITARIANISM.  127 

Ware,  and  the  Editor  of  the  General  Repository 
and  Review  were  the  principal  writers  in  favour 
of  Unitarianism.  The  pamphlets  on  both  sides 
were  written  with  marked  ability,  and  withal 
with  great  fairness;  and  it  may  reasonably  be 
doubted  whether  there  is  to  be  found  in  the 
English  language  a  discussion  of  the  same  themes 
equally  luminous  and  satisfactory. 


III. 


His  Laboubs  ab  a  Philantiibopist. 

As  Dr.  Morse's  ministry  fell  within  the  period 
signalized  by  the  opening  of  the  modern  era  of 
Christian  benevolence,  it  was  to  be  expected, 
considering  the  great  energies  of  his  intellectual 
and  moral  nature,  that  he  would  acquire  an  hon- 
oured name  among  the  Philanthropists  of  his 
generation.  Such  an  expectation  is  fully  justi- 
fied and  met  in  the  history  of  his  life.  To  the 
success  of  nearly  all  the  leading  benevolent  en- 
terprises of  his  day  he  was  not  only  a  cordial 
well-wisher  but  an  efficient  contributor.  The 
design  of  this  chapter  is  to  present  him  in  the 
relation  he  sustained  to  some  of  the  more  pro- 
minent of  these  objects. 

Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel. 

First,  in  the  order  of  time,  were  the  benevo- 
lent efforts  which  he  put  forth  in  connection  with 
the  Society  for  propagating  the  Gospel  among 
the  Indians  and  others  in  North  America, — 
the  oldest  Missionary  Society  in  the  United 
States. 

In  1787  the  Society  in  Scotland  for  the  propa- 
gation of  Christian  knowledge  constituted  a 
number  of  gentlemen  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILAXTIIROPIST. 


129 


a  Board  of  Commissioners,  to  disburse  that  por- 
tion of  their  funds  which  was  appropriated  to  the 
evangelizing  of  the  Indians.  The  gentlemen  ap- 
pointed to  this  work  were  painfully  impressed 
by  the  idea  that  such  an  object  should  attract 
less  attention  at  home  than  abroad;  and  they 
resolved  to  wipe  away  the  reproach  by  forming 
an  organization  with  reference  to  the  same  work. 
The  result  was  that,  within  a  very  short  time, 
was  formed  '*  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gos- 
pel among  the  Indians  and  others  in  North  Ame- 
rica." It  was  incorporated  by  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature  in  December  of  that  year,  but  had 
not  the  requisite  funds  for  missionary  operations, 
till  it  received  what  is  called  the  *  Alford  Dona- 
tion ' — a  bequest  of  thirteen  thousand  dollars  from 
•John  Alford,  a  wealthy  inhabitant  of  Charles- 
town,  who  had  died  a  short  time  before  Mr. 
Morse's  settlement.  Of  this  Society  Mr.  Morse 
was  elected  a  member  in  1792;  and  appointed 
Assistant  Secretary  in  1795 ;  and  on  the  death 
of  Dr.  Thacher  in  1802,  he  succeeded  him  as 
Secretary. 

In  the  summer  of  1796  the  Society  in  Scot- 
land requested  their  Board  of  Commissioners  in 
Boston  "  to  send  a  deputation  of  their  number  to 
the  Oneida  country  (in  the  State  of  New  York), 
to  examine  into  the  stuto  of  religion  in  the  mis- 
sion." Dr.  Belknap  anfl  '^r.  Morse  were  selected 
to  perform  this  service.  I'hey  were  gone  on  their 
mission  for  several  weeks ;  and  the  Report  which 
they  presented  on  their  return,  is  preserved  in 


13Q 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


the  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society. 

The  effect  of  this  visit  upon  Dr.  Belknap,  who 
was  of  a  cool  and  cautious  temperament,  was  to 
convince  him  of  the  utter  hopelessness  of  all 
efforts  to  civilize  and  Christianize  the  Indians; 
while  Dr.  Morse,  on  the  other  hand,  with  his 
more  sanguine  habit  of  mind,  was  encouraged  to 
prosecute  the  work  with  unfaltering  zeal.  Refer- 
ing  to  this  journey,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Jay, 
(21  April,  1797),  he  says: 

"  On  my  way  from  Oneida  last  summer,  I  met  in  New  York 
with  Mr.  Jones,  (Comptroller  of  the  State),  who  cheered  me 
with  the  information  that  the  sale  of  the  Indian  lands  would 
supply  the  funds  necessary  to  support  missionaries  among  the 
Indians  of  your  State.  Should  you.  Sir,  and  the  Commissionera 
of  Indian  Alfiira  think  proper  so  to  appropriate  the  money, 
the  Society  in  Boston  will  use  their  best  endeavours  to  procure 
and  recommend  suitable  persons  for  missionaries." 

Besides  this  mission  patronized  b}'^  the  "  Board 
of  Commissioners*'  of  the  Society  in  Scotland, 
the  Society  for  propagating  the  Gospel  had 
missions  among  the  Indians  at  Marshpee  and 
Martha's  Vineyard,  Massachusetts;  Narragansett, 
Rhode  Island;  Penobscot,  Maine;  and  Wyandotte, 
Ohio.  In  the  other  department  of  the  Society's 
labours, — the  supply  of  religious  instruction  to 
the  destitute  settlements  of  whites,  from  four  to 
nine  missionaries  were  employed  at  this  period, — 
their  term  of  service  varying  from  three  weeks 
to  twelve  months — in  Maine,  Rhode  Island,  Ver- 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PniLANTIIROPIST. 


131 


mont  and  New  York.  His  personal  labours  in  one 
of  these  fields  may  here  properly  be  noticed. 

Early  in  the  present  century  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  fishermen,  inhabiting  the  Isles  of 
Slioals,  off  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  Society  for  propagating  the  Gospel. 
As  Assistant  Secretary  of  that  Society  he  re- 
ceived a  letter,  in  April,  1799,  from  Dudley 
Atkins  Tyng,  of  Newbury  port,  who  was  deeply  in- 
terested in  behalf  of  these  poor  people,  containing 
a  most  graphic  account  of  their  phj-^sical  as  well 
as  spiritual  degradation,  and  earnestly  invoking 
the  Society's  aid  for  their  relief  and  improve- 
ment. The  application  was  successful,  and  the 
Society  voted  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars  a 
year  towards  the  support  of  a  religious  teacher, 
and  sent  a  missionary  to  labour  among  them  for 
three  months.  In  the  summer  of  1800,  Dr. 
Morse,  by  the  appointment  and  at  the  expense 
of  the  Society,  visited  these  Islands  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  a  missionary.  His  mission  occupied 
ten  days, — from  the  5th  to  the  15th  of  August. 
He  kept  a  journal,  which,  on  his  return,  was  sub- 
mitted to  the  Society  as  his  Report,  and  which 
is  preserved  in  manuscript  in  their  archives. 
The  following  extracts  may  give  some  idea  of 
the  manner  in  which  he  was  occupied  during 
this  period : 

"  7  Augnst  (Thursday). — I  have  visited  every  family  and 
most  of  them  several  times,  and  inquired  particularly  into  their 
circumstances.  From  no  individual  did  I  receive  the  least 
personal  disrespect  during  mj  stayj  and  my  reception  was  as 


132 


ms  UkBOURS  AS  A  PHTLANTHROPIST. 


favourable  and  respectful  as  ought  to  be  expected  from  people 
in  their  circumstances.  When  I  informed  them  whence  I 
came,  by  whose  request  and  the  object  of  my  mission,  they 
Becuicd  generally  deeply  affected,  and  several  shed  tears,  and 
expressed  surprise  that  people  at  such  a  distance  should  think 
of  them,  and  be  even  more  concerned  for  them  than  they  were 
for  themselves.  At  three  o'clock  I  preached  a  lecture  to  an 
audience  of  about  seventy  persons,  who  behaved  with  decency, 
were  attentive  and  solemn.  After  service  I  gave  notice  that 
all  who  wished  to  have  their  children  baptized,  must  make  it 
known  to  me  jireviously  to  the  Sabbath,  that  I  might  converse 
with  them  on  the  subject.  This  notice  was  generalh*  regarded. 
Appointed  a  lecture  for  the  next  day  at  three  o'clock  on  Star 
Island. 

"  8  August  (Friday) — Spent  the  morning  in  catechising  and 
instructing  about  a  dozen  children.  Distributed  such  portions 
of  the  books  sent  by  the  Society  as  I  thought  most  needed. 
Agreeably  to  appointment,  went  to  Star  Island  at  three  o'clock, 
P.  M.,  and  preached  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Mace  Two-thirds 
of  the  people,  as  nearly  as  I  could  judge,  attended.  After 
service,  gave  notice  that  I  should  spend  the  next  day  (Saturday) 
in  catechising  the  children  and  visiting  the  people  at  their 
houses. 

"9  August  (Saturday)  —  Twenty-four  children  assembled. 
Spent  two  hours  in  hearing  them  read,  catechising,  praying 
with  and  instructing  them.  Two  or  three  could  read  tolerably 
well ;  but  the  greater  part  appeared  totally  ignorant-  The 
aftoruoon  I  spent  in  conversing  with  those  who  were  desirous 
of  having  their  children  baptized,  and  in  visiting  the  people  at 
their  own  houses. 

"  In  regard  to  Baptism,  I  found  some  difficulty  in  my  own 
mind  to  determine  who  were  the  proper  subjects.  Several 
beads  of  families  had  had  some  of  their  children  baptized,  as 
opportunity  offered.  In  respect  to  these  parents,  it  appeared 
to  me  proper  that  the  rest  of  their  children  should  be  admitted 
to  the  same  privilege.  To  other  parents  I  endeavoured  to 
explain  the  nature  and  design  of  the  ordinance,  questioned 
them  as  to  their  faith  in  the  Christian  religion,  informed  them 


ins  LABOURS  AS  A  rillLAXTIIROPIST.  133 


of  the  obligations  which  an  admission  to  this  ordinance  laid 
them  under  to  see  that  their  children  were  properly  educated, 
and  to  set  a  good  example  before  them ;  and  in  cases  where 
the  answers  were  satisfactory,  I  allowed  them  to  bring  tlieir 
children  for  baptism. 

*'  To-day  I  was  told  of  two  couples  who  had  lived  together 
as  man  and  wife  for  a  number  of  years,  but  who  had  not  been 
married,  and  each  had  several  children.  I  asked  m3self 
whether  it  would  not  now  be  proper  to  marry  them  ?  After 
consideration  I  decided  the  matter  in  the  aflSrmativc.  It  would 
be  improper,  I  thought,  to  separate  them,  or  to  suffer  them  to 
continue  to  live  together  unmarried.  Further,  tlie  marrying 
of  them  would  tend  to  keep  up  a  respect  for  the  marriage 
institution.  As  I  found  these  islanders  without  civil  law  and  in 
a  state  of  nature,  I  presumed  upon  my  right,  as  a  minister  of 
Christ,  to  njarry  them,  which  I  accordingly  did  the  next  day  ; 
not,  however,  without  reproving  them  for  their  past  sin,  repre- 
senting to  them  the  importance  of  the  marriage  covenant,  and 
inculcating  upon  them  its  duties. 

"10  August  (Sunday). — Never  did  I  spend  a  Sabbath  more 
laboriously  and  more  satisfactorily  than  this.  The  people  very 
generally  assembled,  and  with  great  apparent  cheerfulness. 
I  preached  morning  and  afternoon.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
afternoon  service  and  in  the  evening  I  baptized  thirty-one 
children. 

"  11  August  (Monday). — Went  round  to  every  family  on 
Star  Island  to  bid  them  farewell.  Many  of  the  people  mani- 
fested the  usual  sensibilities  on  such  occasions,  and  several 
expressed  their  thanks  for  my  visit,  their  obligations  to  the 
Society,  and  their  earnest  desires  not  to  be  forgotten." 

Having  accomplished  his  mission  at  the  Isles, 
he  took  leave  of  the  people,  and  went  first  to 
Portsmouth,  where  he  called  on  a  number  of 
prominent  individuals,  representing  to  them  the 
necessities  of  the  Islanders,  and  informing  them 
of  what  the  Society  had  done  for  them,  and  what 
12 


134 


HIS  LABOUCS  AS  A  PinLANTTTROPIST. 


he  supposed  they  were  still  ready  to  do.  He  was 
much  gratified  to  find  that  these  gentlemen  were 
ready  to  assist  in  building  them  a  meeting-house, 
and  in  furnishing  them  the  means  of  instruction 
and  comfort.  From  Portsmouth  he  passed  on  to 
Exeter,  where  he  saw  Governor  Gilman,  Judge 
Tenney,  Judge  Peabody,  and  others  of  high  stand- 
ing, all  of  whom  expressed  their  hearty  approval 
of  the  object  of  his  mission,  and  their  willing- 
ness not  only  to  contribute  to  it  themselves,  but  to 
endeavour  to  secure  aid  to  it  from  the  Legislature. 
Thence  he  proceeded  to  Newburj'port.  where  he 
had  a  cordial  welcome  from  his  friend  Mr.  Tyng, 
who  listened  eagerly  and  gratefully  to  the  ac- 
count which  he  had  to  give  of  the  Islanders.  At 
the  suggestion  of  the  gentlemen  whom  he  had 
met  in  Portsmouth,  he  proposed  to  Mr.  Tyng 
that  a  subscription  paper  in  aid  of  the  object  for 
which  he  was  labouring,  should  be  printed,  and 
circulated  in  the  principal  towns  between  Ports- 
mouth and  Boston;  and  this,  he  was  gratified  to 
find,  met  Mr.  T.'s  cordial  approbation.  The 
paper  was  accordingly  drafted  at  once,  and  a 
number  of  copies  printed  for  distribution.  The 
people  of  Newburyport  entered  with  great  spirit 
into  the  enterprise,  and  so  much  was  done  within 
a  few  hours  as  to  render  it  almost  certain  that 
not  many  months  would  elapse  before  the  Island- 
ers would  have  a  decent  place  of  worship.  He 
distributed  the  subscription  papers  in  the  several 
towns  through  which  he  passed  on  his  homeward 
way  from  Newburyport,  and  was  encouraged  to 


raS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST.  135 


expect  considerable  success.  The  closing  record 
of  his  journey  is : 

15  August  (Friday). — At  5  P.  M.  arrived  at  Charlestown, 
from  a  ten  days'  journey,  the  most  pleasant  and  prosperous  that 
I  ever  performed  in  the  course  of  my  life." 

The  new  meeting-house  was  completed  by  the 
end  of  October.  It  was  a  small  edifice  built  of 
stone,  and  with  a  steeple ;  so  that  it  served  the 
double  purpose  of  a  place  of  worship  for  the 
inhabitants  and  a  landmark  for  seamen.  On  the 
14th  of  November,  Dr.  Morse  went,  by  invitation 
of  Mr.  Tyng,  and  accompanied  by  Mr.  John  Low, 
the  Society's  newly  appointed  missionary  to  the 
Islands,  and  the  same  afternoon  dedicated  the 
meeting-house,  preaching  an  appropriate  sermon 
on  the  occasion.  In  the  evening  the  inhabitants 
assembled  at  his  lodgings,  and  entered  into  a 
covenant  for  their  future  conduct,  agreeably  to 
articles  which  had  been  prepared  by  Mr.  Tyng. 
In  the  spring  of  1801  Mr.  Low  was  succeeded  in 
this  mission  by  Mr.  Josiah  Stevens,  whom  the 
New  Hampshire  Legislature  constituted  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  that  he  might  thus  restrain  some 
immoralities  which  he  could  not  reach  from  the 
pulpit.    He  died  greatly  lamented  in  1804. 

While  this  missionary  work  was  thus  going 
forward.  Dr.  Thacher  was  the  Secretary  of  the 
Society ;  but,  owing  to  his  delicate  health,  the 
duties  of  the  office  were  performed  chiefly  by 
Dr.  Morse.  In  the  fall  of  1802  Dr.  Thacher 
went  to  Savannah,  by  the  advice  of  his  physi- 


136  raS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHliOPIST. 


cian,  and  in  December  the  Society  received 
tidings  of  his  death.  What  Dr.  Morse's  estimate 
of  his  character  was,  may  be  gathered  from  the 
following  extract  of  a  letter  which  he  addressed 
to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kemp,  Secretary  of  the  Society 
in  Scotland,  4  February,  1803 : 

"  I  am  sorry  that  my  first  official  letter  to  you  must  announce 
melancholy  tidings.  Our  worthy  and  excellent  friend  Dr. 
Thacher  is  no  more  I  lie  died  at  Savannah,  in  Georgia,  the 
10th  of  December.  His  remains  have  been  since  brought  to 
Boston.  His  disease  was  pulmonary.  His  end  was  peace. 
He  died  in  the  full  faith  of  the  doctrines  he  had  preached, 
which  were  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  in  the  hope  that  is  full 
of  immortality.  His  death  I  consider  as  an  irreparable  loss  to 
hia  family,  his  congregation,  and  to  the  Society  for  Propagating 
the  Gospel  and  Board  of  Commissioners,  of  which  he  was  the 
worthy  and  faithful  Secretary.  I  feel  quite  unworthy  to 
succeed  him  in  that  office,  to  which  I  have  been  appointed 
since  his  death." 

Though  aided  by  a  Board  of  Directors,  the 
greater  part  of  the  labour  performed  by  the  So- 
ciety devolved  on  the  Secretary.  The  period  in 
which  he  held  this  office — about  seven  years — 
witnessed  to  a  great  enlargement  of  the  Society's 
operations.  The  State  of  Massachusetts  which, 
from  1701  to  1803,  had  only  granted  in  all  one 
thousand  dollars,  made  now  an  annual  donation 
of  this  same  sum  for  four  years,  commencing  with 
1804.  In  addition  to  these  several  grants  from 
the  State,  the  Society,  for  several  years,  held  a 
public  religious  service,  at  which  its  claims  were 
presented  in  a  Discourse  by  some  one  of  its 
members,  and  a  collection  taken  up  in  aid  of  the 


niS  LABOUKS  AS  A  I'lIILAX TIIHOriST. 


137 


object.  The  first  service  was  held  in  Brattle 
Street  Church,  Boston,  on  the  19th  of  January, 
1804,  much  havinj;  previously  been  done  to  give 
both  publicity  and  interest  to  the  occasion.  Dr. 
Morse  preached  the  Annual  Sermon  before  the 
Society,  in  1810,  which  was  published.  lie  re- 
signed his  office  as  Secretary  of  the  Society,  in 
1810,  but  continued  still  a  member  of  the  Select 
Committee,  and  retained  the  Secretaryship  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners. 

MAFSACIIUSETTS  EMIGRANT  SOCIETT. 

The  republication  of  Dr.  Morse's  American 
Geography  in  England  had  a  very  decided  influ- 
ence in  promoting  emigration  from  Europe  to  this 
country.  The  Rev.  William  Wells,  Dr.  Priestley, 
and  several  other  distinguished  Dissenting  minis 
ters,  a(idressed  letters  to  him,  assuring  him  of  the 
important  service  he  had  rendered  to  maiiy  peo 
pie  on  that  side  of  the  Atlantic,  by  inducing 
tliem  to  seek  a  permanent  home  in  the  United 
States.  To  this  no  doubt  may  be  traced  the 
origin,  about  the  close  of  the  year  1703,  of  "  the 
Massachusetts  Society  for  the  Information  and 
Advice  of  Immigrants."  Of  this  Society,  the 
eminent  merchant,  Thomas  Russell,  his  parish- 
ioner, was  President,  and  himself  the  Correspond- 
ing Secretary.  In  the  Prospectus,  still  preserved, 
in  his  hand-writing,  he  says : 

"  The  inhabitants  of  New  England,  satisfied  with  the  natural 
increase  of  their  population,  have,  hitherto,  rather  discouraged 
than   countcDanced   foreigners   from  settling  among  thenv. 


138  HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTIIROPIST. 

Hence  few  Europeans  have  come  to  os  since  1&40.  The  great 
body  of  the  present  inhabitants  are  the  oflfspring  of  about 
twenty-one  thousand  persons,  who  came  over  previous  to  that 
period,  driven  from  their  native  land  by  persecution  and 
oppression.  This  wise  policy  has  preserved  a  homogeneity  of 
habits,  manners,  language,  government  and  religion.  But, 
owing  to  the  present  disturbed  state  of  Europe,  causing  large 
emigrations  and  jeoparding  our  commerce  with  that  quarter  of 
the  globe,  it  becomes  a  question  now  whether  a  change  of  policy 
on  our  part  is  nut  required  alike  by  humanity  and  self-interest." 

Such  were  the  motives  that  prompted  to  the 
formation  of  this  Society.  It  was  established 
under  very  favourable  auspices,  and  numbered, 
on  the  original  list  of  its  members,  upwards  of 
fifty  of  the  prominent  clergymen  and  laymen 
of  Boston  and  its  vicinity. 

AVithin  a  year  afterwards  a  similar  Society  was 
formed  in  New  York,  and  another  in  Philadelphia, 
with  both  of  which  the  Massachusetts  Society 
held  correspondence.  To  the  Secretary  of  the 
latter  Dr.  Morse  writes,  December  22,  1794: 

"  Our  Societ}'  originated  from  the  evident  necessity  of  some 
such  institution  at  a  period  when  foreigners  were  flowing  in 
upon  us  in  great  numbers,  seeking  a  quiet  retreat  and  peaceful 
settlement  in  our  happy  country.  To  show  a  friendly  attention 
to  these  people  according  to  their  several  necessities  and  views, 
to  do  to  them  as  we  would  wish  them  to  do  to  us  in  like  cir- 
cumstances, are  the  objects  of  our  Association.  It  is  with  plea- 
sure we  hear  that  other  similar  Bodies  are  formed  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia.  By  our  mutual  correspondence  the  advan- 
tages to  Emigrants  will  be  increased.  It  is  desirable  that  such 
Associations  should  be  formed  in  other  capital  towns  in  the 
United  States.  In  this  Commonwealth  are  established  iron, 
glass^  woolen  and  duek  manufactories  ;  and  workmen  are  much 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTTIROriST.  139 


wanted.  Should  any  such  land  in  Philadelphia,  and  need 
employment,  let  them  come  this  way." 

On  the  26th  of  April,  1795,  he  writes: 

"  The  current  of  immigration  is  turned  principally  to  the 
Southward.  Few,  during  the  past  year,  have  come  to  New 
England,  so  that  our  Society  has  had  little  to  do." 

For  the  reason  stated  in  the  last  extract,  the 
Massachusetts  Society  first  suspended,  and  in  a 
few  years  ceased  altogether,  its  operations.  But 
no  one  probably  had  more  influence  in  originating 
it,  or  in  promoting  its  interests  during  the  period 
of  its  continuance,  than  Dr.  Morse. 

IN  AID  OF  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  NAVY  YARD  AT 

CIIARLESTOWN. 

While  Dr.  Morse,  even  in  his  philanthropic 
movements,  habitually  recognized  the  fact  that 
he  was  a  Christian  minister,  and,  as  such,  directed 
his  efforts  generally  to  the  moral  and  spiritual 
improvement  of  his  fellow  men,  or  to  the  relief 
of  human  suffering,  he  did  not  hesitate,  as  oppor- 
tunity offered,  to  put  forth  his  energies  in  aid  of 
the  secular  interests  of  the  community.  One 
occasion  on  which  he  did  this  was  the  establish- 
ment of  the  two  docks,  in  other  words,  the  Navy 
Yard,  at  Charlestown.  On  the  29th  of  March, 
1799,  he  writes  thus  to  Benjamin  Stoddert,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy : 

"  I  perceive  that  Congress  has  passed  an  Act  authorizing  the 
establishment  of  •  two  Docks  for  the  convenience  of  repairing 
the  public  ships  and  vessels,  in  suitable  places  in  the  United 
States."  •••••• 


140 


raS  UIBOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHBOPIST. 


After  stating  the  advantages  that  Charlestown 
offers  for  this  purpose,  he  adds : 

"  I  have  no  particular  interest  to  serve  in  this  business, 
separate  from  that  of  my  country." 

He  subsequently  obtained  from  Col.  John  May 
an  accurate  account  of  the  tides  in  Boston  Har- 
bour, with  other  information,  which  he  forwarded 
in  October  following  to  the  Secretary. 

Early  the  next  year  (1800)  he  was  absent  from 
home  six  weeks,  part  of  which  time  he  spent  in 
Pliiladelphia,  bis  fellow  townsmen  having  com- 
missioned him  to  promote  their  object  by  his 
personal  influence  with  the  Government.  On  his 
return  to  Charlestown  he  writes  to  his  father-in- 
law.  Judge  Breese: 

"  The  people  seem  pleased  with  what  I  have  done  respecting 
the  Dock ;"  and  a  few  days  later,  he  writes, — "  We  are  all 
alive  respecting  the  Dock.  On  Thursday  we  are  to  have  a 
town  meeting  ou  the  isubject,  to  determine  at  what  price  the 
Government  shall  have  the  land,  provided  they  conclude  to 
establish  the  Dock  here.  Some  of  the  land-owners  are  very 
obstinate.  The  Bostouians  are  attempting  to  get  the  Dock  on 
Noddle's  Island.    I  think  they^  will  not  succeed." 

At  the  Town  meeting,  on  the  27th  of  March, 
Dr.  Morse  was  appointed  to  furnish  instructions 
to  the  Agent  commissioned  to  prosecute  their 
cause  at  the  seat  of  Government.  The  matter 
was  kept  awhile  in  abeyance;  and  President 
Adams,  in  the  mean  time,  wrote  to  him,  express- 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


141 


ing  some  doubt  of  the  final  issue ;  but  the  result 
was  fully  in  accordance  with  Dr.  Morse's  wishes. 

IX  BEHALF  OF  THE  AFRICANS. 

During  Mr.  Morse's  sojourn  in  Georgia,  pre- 
vious to  his  settlement  in  Cliarlcstown,  both  his 
thoughts  and  sensibilities  seem  to  have  been 
deeply  exercised  in  respect  to  tlie  abject  condi- 
tion of  the  slaves.  On  the  death  of  one  of  them 
in  the  family  in  which  he  lived  he  makes  the 
following  touching  reflections : 

"  To  day  Sullivan,  one  of  the  negro  fellows,  flicd  very  sud- 
denly. The  negroes  lay  it  to  heart.  Sullivan's  wife  is  much 
affected,  which  shows  that  the  negroes  have  sensibility.  The 
death  of  a  negro  is  considered  by  his  master  as  only  the  loss  of 
60  much  property,  just  as  the  loss  of  cattle  is  with  us  at  the 
North.  If  a  valuable  negro  die,  it  calls  forth  the  remark  that 
some  old  worn-out  slave  could  have  been  l)etter  spared.  Can 
this  be  right  ?  Are  not  the  slaves  immortal  beings  ?  Should 
they  not  have  the  opportunity  of  rising  in  the  scale  of  humanity 
as  the  whites  have  ?  " 

No  doubt  the  observation  which  he  made  at 
this  period  on  the  degradation  incident  to 
Slavery,  predisposed  him  to  the  course  of  vigor- 
ous elTort  which  he  afterwards  commenced  and 
prosecuted  in  aid  of  the  improvement  of  the 
African  race.  In  the  fall  of  1802,  while  engaged, 
oil  a  Saturday  evening,  in  making  his  prepara- 
tion for  the  Sabbath,  he  was  disturbed  by  the 
noise  of  a  profane  rabble  in  the  street;  and,  taking 
his  cane  in  his  hand,  went  out  to  see  what  he 
could  do  to  disperse  them.  As  it  was  bright 
moonlight,  he  saw  at  once  that  they  were  coloured 


142 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PUILANTHBOPI8T. 


people,  and  the  thought  of  their  degraded  condi- 
tion disposed  him  at  once  to  a  kindly  forbearance. 
Instead  of  assuming  towards  them  a  menacing 
attitude,  he  calmly  and  affectionately  expostu- 
lated with  them,  and  the  desired  effect  was 
produced — they  obeyed  his  counsels  and  went 
away. 

Tliis  circumstance  produced  an  effect  upon  his 
mind  that  reached  much  beyond  the  moment — 
he  reproached  himself  for  having  done  little  or 
nothing  for  these  wretched  outcasts  from  society, 
and  resolved  that  he  would  institute  measures  at 
once  for  the  improvement  of  their  condition.  It 
was  during  this  winter  of  1802—03  that  he  de- 
livered his  first  course  of  Saturday  evening  Lec- 
tures to  the  young  people  of  his  congregation. 
But  now,  in  addition,  he  delivered  a  discourse 
every  Sunday  evening  to  the  negroes  assembled 
in  the  town  school-house.  In  this  service  he  felt 
the  deepest  interest.  In  May,  1803,  he  writes 
to  his  father : 

"  From  December  to  April  I  gave  lectures  to  the  negroes 
every  Sabbath  evening.  From  one  hundred  to  three  hundred 
attended  from  this  town  and  Boston.  They  were  very  atten- 
tive, serious  and  grateful,  and  the  meetings  have,  by  the  Divine 
blessing,  contributed  much  to  their  reformation." 

This  benevolent  service  which  he  was  perform- 
ing became  known  to  many  of  his  friends  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  and  some  of  them, 
among  whom  were  Dr.  Lyman,  and  Dr.  Cutler, 
of  Hamilton,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  ad- 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  rillLAXTIIROriST.  143 


dressed  letters  to  him,  expressing  their  warmest 
syinpjithy  in  these  benevolent  labours. 

Early  in  the  year  1803. he  induced  Mr.  Oliver 
Brown,  a  member  of  his  congregation,  and  at  that 
time  a  student  in  Harvard  College,  to  spend  his 
long  winter  vacation  in  teaching  the  negroes,  and 
for  this  purpose  he  provided  him  a  school-room 
in  Boston. 

In  March  of  the  same  3'ear  he  was  called  on  by 
Mr.  Williams, — afterwards  the  Rev.  Thomas  Wil- 
liams, still  living  at  a  very  advanced  age.  This 
gentleman  had  visited  him  in  Charlestown  two 
years  before,  and  thus  had  become  personally  and 
favourably  known  to  him.  He  was  now  a  school 
teacher  in  Norwich  Landing ;  and  being  known 
to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
coloured  people.  Dr.  Morse,  after  learning  from 
a  judicious  friend  in  Norwich  that  he  was  quali- 
fied for  the  service  in  which  he  wished  to  employ 
him,  had  invited  him  again  to  his  house.  He 
immediately  arranged  with  him  for  taking  charge 
of  the  school,  and  he  entered  at  once  upon  the 
work ;  and  Dr  Morse  subsequently  procured  for 
him  a  license  to  preach,  and  also  the  Chaplaincy 
of  the  Boston  Almshouse.  The  school  grew  and 
became  a  permanent  institution,  with  a  Board  of 
Trustees,  of  which  Dr.  Morse  was  a  leading  mem- 
ber. Among  others  who  co-operated  with  him 
in  this  good  work  were  the  late  President  Kirk- 
land  of  Harvard  College,  Lieutenant  Governor 
William  Phillips,  Dr.  Channing  and  Mr.  Stephen 
Higginson  Jr. 


144 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  PimJkXTHROPIST. 


In  the  spring  of  1805,  it  was  proposed  to  build 
a  church  for  the  coloured  people,  to  be  under  the 
direction  of  this  Board  of  Trustees;  and  the 
means  for  accomplishing  it  Avere  provided  by 
subscription.  On  this  occasion  sixty-eight  of 
the  coloured  people  petitioned  that  the  building 
should  serve  the  double  purpose  of  a  school-room 
and  a  place  of  worship.  To  this  the  Trustees 
assented,  only  recommending  in  their  answer, 
which  was  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Morse,  that  **  the 
building,  if  rented,  should  be  for  all  denomina- 
tions to  which  tlie  Africans  now  belong,  and  be 
uuder  a  special  Board  of  Trustees,  in  Avhich  these 
denominations  shall  be  severally  represented ;" 
and  concluding  with  a  promise  of  their  co-opera- 
tion if  these  conditions  were  complied  with.  To 
this  object  Dr.  Morse  subscribed  one  hundred 
dollars, — a  liberal  sum,  especially  for  a  clergyman 
of  that  day. 

The  14th  of  July,  1808,  was  observed  by  the 
Africans  and  their  descendants  in  Boston  as  a 
day  of  Tlianksgiving,  in  commemoration  of  the 
Abolition  of  the  African  Slave  Trade,  by  the 
Governments  of  the  United  States,  Great  Britain 
and  Denmark.  AVith  the  express  approbation 
of  Governor  Sullivan  and  the  selectmen  of  the 
town,  about  two  hundred  coloured  people  marched 
in  procession  through  several  streets  to  the  Afri- 
can meeting-house,  where  religious  services  were 
performed  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assembly, 
including  many  clergymen  and  others  from  the 
•  neighbouring  towns.   Dr.  Morse  preached  on  the 


niS  L.VBOURS  AS  A  PHILAXTIIUOnST.  145 


occasion,  from  the  text, — "  If  the  Son  therefore 
shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed." 
It  was  a  noble  effort,  designed  to  lead  those  to 
whom  it  was  especially  addressed,  to  look  beyond 
mere  earthly  freedom,  and  seek  that  higher  free- 
dom from  sin  and  its  consequences,  which  it  is 
the  design  of  the  Gospel  to  impart.  The  Dis- 
course was  published,  with  an  Appendix  con- 
taining valuable  information  in  respect  to  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade,  not  only  in  this 
country  but  in  Great  Britain. 

His  kind  offices  to  this  class  of  people  secured 
to  him,  in  large  measure,  their  confidence  and 
affection,  and  they  often  came  to  ask  his  advice. 
His  sons  were  then  in  College ;  and  they  remem- 
ber once,  on  coming  home  to  spend  their  vaca- 
tion, how  much  they  were  surprised  to  find  the 
yard  filled  with  negroes,  and  what  a  relief  it 
was  to  them  lo  be  told  that  it  was  a  peaceful 
gathering  of  coloured  people  from  Boston  and 
the  vicinity,  come  to  ask  the  advice  of  their 
friend  Dr.  Morse  on  some  matter  regarding  their 
welfare. 

In  1812  they  consulted  him  on  the  expediency 
of  migrating  to  Sierra  Leone,  and  showed  him 
letters  from  Captain  Paul  Cuffee,  encouraging 
them  to  such  an  enterprise.  That  actively  be- 
nevolent man  had,  the  year  before,  made  a  voyage 
in  his  own  vessel  (the  brig  Traveller)  to  the 
Western  coast  of  Africa,  to  ascertain  for  himself 
the  advantages  which  the  British  Colony  of 
Sierra  Leone  afforded  as  a  settlement  for  his 
13 


146  mS  LABOCBS  AS  A  PHILANTHBOPIST. 


coloured  brethren  in  America.  On  his  return 
he  wrote  thus  to  those  in  Boston: 

"If  the  war  does  not  prcTent,  I  intend,  by  advice  of  friends, 
to  send  a  vessel  to  Sierra  Leone  in  October.  I  have  visited 
Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  where  the  people  of 
colour  propose  forming  themselves  into  societies.  They  are 
put  in  possession  of  all  the  information  I  can  give  them.  I 
think  you  might  couclude  on  a  similar  plan  of  Association ;  and 
if  any  should  be  desirous  of  going,  such  society  would  aid  in 
forwarding  their  views." 

Dr.  Morse  thought  favourably  of  the  project 
and  encouraged  it.  After  the  close  of  the  war, 
the  vessel  sailed  from  New  Bedford,  9  Decem- 
ber, 1815,  Avith  thirty-eight  coloured  persons  of 
Boston,  who  bore  the  following  letter  from  him 
to  the  Governor  of  the  Colony : 

"  Boston,  10  November,  1815. 
"  To  His  Exc'y  Charles  Will.  Maxwell :  Sir— From  the  Re- 
ports of  the  Directors  of  the  African  Institution  and  of  the  London 
Church  Missionary  Society,  and  from  the  statements  of  Captain 
Paul  Cuffee,  I  am  made  fully  acquainted  with  the  history  for 
the  present  year,  of  the  wise  and  benevolent  establishment  over 
which  you  are  called,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  to  preside.  It 
has  ever  had  my  hearty  approbation  and  my  good  wishes  for  its 
prosperit}'.  The  account  of  its  progress  I  have  read  from  time 
to  time  with  deep  interest,  and  I  have  strong  confidence  that  it 
will  continue  to  grow  in  importance  and  influence,  and  prove  a 
great  and  widely  extended  and  lasting  blessing  to  that  portion 
of  Africa  which  has  suffered  most  severely  from  the  Slave- 
trade. 

"  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  write  you.  Sir,  at  this  time,  for 
the  purpose  of  introducing  to  your  protection  and  patronage  the 
persons  of  African  descent,  herein  named,  all  of  Boston,  who, 
with  their  families,  go  out  with  Captain  Paul  Cuffee,  with  a 
view  to  settle  at  Sierra  Leone,  in  expectation  of  being  admitted 


HIS  L.VBOURS  AS  A  PIIIL^VNTIIROriST. 


147 


to  share  in  the  privileges  afforded  to  settlers.  From  the  certi- 
ficates of  character  which  thc}'  will  show  you,  sijrncd  by  respect- 
able citizens  of  Boston, — all  which  certificates  I  have  read  and 
know  them  to  be  genuine, — as  well  as  from  my  own  personal 
knowledge  of  their  character,  I  have  reason  to  believe  thoy  will 
prove  to  be  wholesome  inhabitants,  and  a  valuable  acquisition  to 
your  Colony.  And  as  most  of  them,  I  trust,  arc  truly  pious, 
and  as  some  of  them  have  considerable  knowledge  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  I  trust  they  will  be  the  instruments, 
by  their  exertions  and  example,  of  spreading  the  blessings  of 
the  Christian  religion  among  their  countrymen.  Going  among 
strangers  in  a  distant  land,  with  small  pecuniary  means  and 
little  knowledge  of  the  world,  they  will  need  a  friend  in  whom 
they  may  confide  for  advice,  direction  and  support.  That  friend, 
I  ha\e  no  doubt,  from  my  knowledge  of  your  character,  they 
will  find  in  you. 

"  Each  family  is  furnished,  by  our  Charitable  Societies,  with 
a  Bible,  Psalm  Book,  and  some  other  useful  books.  More,  I 
doubt  not,  will  be  readily  furnished,  as  they  may  need,  by  youi 
Church  Missionary  Society." 

Two  months  after  their  arrival  one  of  the 
company  writes  him  from  Sierre  Leone  (3  April, 
ISIG)  of  their  safe  arrival  after  a  passage  of 
fifty-five  days ;  of  their  friendly  reception  by  the 
Governor,  who  gave  a  town  lot  and  from  fifty  to 
fifty-five  acres  of  land  for  cultivation  to  each 
householder,  according  to  the  number  of  persons 
composing  his  family;  of  their  abundant  supply 
of  rice,  corn  and  other  food ;  of  the  three  or  four 
schools,  one  of  which  contained  an  hundred  and 
fifty  female  children;  of  the  churches,  five  in 
number,  &c. 

Capt.  Cuffee  was  applied  to  the  next  year  to 
convey  a  second  company  of  Colonists  to  Sierra 


148 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


Leone,  and,  in  reply  to  Dr.  Morse*s  inquiries,  lie 
writes : 

"  Westport,  10  August,  1816.  The  prospect  of  my  going  to 
Africa  this  fall  is  uufavourable.  When  I  went  out  before, 
there  was  not  such  provision  for  receiving  my  passengers  as  I 
could  wish ;  so  that  the  expense  fell  heavily  on  me.  I  had  to 
supply  these  people  at  my  own  cost  with  provisions  till  they 
could  furnish  themselves  by  raising  crops.  1  had  not  procured 
a  license  to  protect  me  while  in  the  Colony.  I  am  now  in 
further  correspondence  with  my  friend,  Mr.  Allen  of  Loudon, 
on  the  subject.  When  suitable  provision  can  be  made,  I  shall 
be  ready  and  willing.  Providence  permitting,  to  serve  my 
brethren  in  any  way  that  may  tend  to  their  advancement.  Mean- 
while I  recoiaiuend  the  people  of  colour  in  Boston  not  to  flatter 
themselves  with  too  great  prospects.  After  a  year  or  two  of 
progress,  they  can  form  a  better  judgment  of  the  wisdom  of  this 
emigration.  .  .  .  I  am  convinced  that  Africa  is  the  country 
in  which  they  may  rise  to  be  a  people,  if  they  will  only  prepare 
theniselves  for  self-government,  and  especially  leave  off  that 
monstrous  evil.  Intemperance." 

The  benevolent  purposes  of  the  writer  of  this 
letter  were  broken  oft*  by  death  shortly  after  its 
date;  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  service  which 
he  actually  performed  is  to  be  reckoned,  as  a 
link  in  the  chain  of  causes  from  which  sprang 
that  noble  institution,  the  American  Colonization 
Society. 

CHAPLAINCY  OF  THE  STATE  PRISON. 

On  the  erection  of  the  State  Prison  in  Charles- 
town  Dr.  Morse  was  appointed,  by  the  Governor 
of  Massachusetts,  Chaplain  and  Visitor  of  that 
important  institution.  His  certificate  of  appoint- 
ment is  dated  17  October,  1805.    In  a  journal 


HIS  L^BOUKS  AS  A  PIIII^VXTHROPIST.  149 


that  he  kept  during  the  year  and  a  half  that  he 
held  these  offices,  from  January,  1806  to  June, 
1807,  he  says: 

"  Have  attended  meetings  of  visitors  twcnt3'-six  times. 
There  have  been  preached  to  the  prisoners  by  myself,  or  by 
those  1  have  engaged,  fifty-three  sermons.  Have  visited  tho 
prison  in  person,  or  have  employed  some  one  to  go  in  my  place, 
to  instruct  the  prisoners  and  pray  with  them,  as  nearly  as  I  can 
ascertain,  two  hundred  and  fifty  times.  More  time  than  all  the 
above  labours  required  has  been  spent  in  attending  to  the 
friends  of  prisoners,  or  to  persons  whose  curiosity  has  led  them 
to  view  the  prison." 

In  his  letter  to  Governor  Sullivan,  of  June  5, 
1807,  in  which  he  tenders  his  resignation  of  these 
offices,  he  says : 

"  I  have  endeavoured  faithfully  to  discharge  the  ver}'  arduous 
duties  which  have  devolved  on  me  during  the  infancy  and  form-, 
ing  period  of  this  important  institution.  Nothing  but  an 
ardent  desire  to  see  an  institution  congenial  with  my  own  feel- 
ings for  an  unhappy  class  of  men,  put  into  successful  operation, 
would  have  induced  me,  already  crowded  with  other  professional 
employments,  to  accept  my  appointment.  I  have  contin- 
ued to  hold  the  offices  against  the  advice  and  urgent  solicita- 
tions of  my  friends,  reiterated  for  a  year  past,  and  I  am  now 
constrained  to  yield  to  their  wishes,  and  to  those  of  the  people 
of  my  charge,  whose  affection  is  necessary  to  my  usefulness." 

In  token  of  their  respect  and  affection,  a  letter 
was  addressed  to  him,  signed  by  fifty-six  of  the 
prisoners,  expressing  their  gratitude  for  his  excel- 
lent instructions  and  advice,  and  their  regret  to 
part  with  so  firm  and  faithful  a  friend. 


150 


mS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PIIILANTIIBOPIST. 


CIRCULATION  OF  RELIGIOUS  TRACTS. 

With  Dr.  Morse's  great  facility  at  discovering 
means  and  opportunities  of  doing  good,  it  is  not 
strange  that  the  distribution  of  Religious  Tracts 
should  have  early  engaged  his  attention.  The  pam- 
phlets on  Infant  Baptism,  by  Doctors  Hemmenway, 
Lathrop,  Strong  and  Williams,  which  have  been 
already  referred  to,  were  tracts  which  he  printed, 
published  and  distributed.  As  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel 
among  the  Indians  and  others  in  North  America, 
it  fell  to  him  to  distribute  gratuitously  the  books 
and  tracts  to  the  purchase  of  which  a  portion  of 
their  funds  was  applied.  But  this  was  only  the 
beginning  of  his  labours  in  this  department. 

In  October,  1802,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
Rev.  George  Burder,  of  the  London  Tract  Soci- 
ety (formed  in  1799),  in  which  he  writes  thus: 

"  In  my  own  parish  a  few  individuals  who  choose  not  to  let 
their  left  hand  know  what  their  right  hand  doeth,  have,  within 
the  last  four  months  purchased  and  in  part  distributed  more 
than  twenty  thousand  religious  tracts  of  different  kinds.  A 
wonderful  disposition  prevails  to  promote  in  this  manner  the 
interests  of  religion." 

But  the  distribution  began  at  an  earlier  period 
than  that  indicated  in  the  preceding  extract ;  for 
in  January  of  that  year  (1802)  the  Society's  Mis- 
sionary at  Freeport,  Maine,  the  Rev.  Alfred 
Johnson,  speaks  of  a  bundle  of  books  just  received 
from  him,  and  alludes  to  another  previously  sent, 
adding: 


*•  I  do  not  know  a  charity  so  cheap,  that  is  so  useful.  The 
blessing  of  many  ready  to  perish  comes  upon  j'ou.  I  labour 
among  four  hundred  families,  mostly  young  and  poor,  and  am 
often  asked  for  the  books.  Do  your  Geographies  furnish  you 
with  this  large  stream  of  charities  ?    Or  do  you  beg  to  give  ?" 

The  true  answer  to  this  inquiry  seems  to  have 
been  that  his  well  known  charitable  spirit  gave 
him  great  power,  which  he  used  to  the  best 
advantage,  in  putting  in  requisition  the  liberality 
of  others.  Both  in  and  beyond  his  own  parish, 
there  were  numbers  of  generous  individuals  who 
heartily  engaged  with  him  in  this  work.  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  Sanmel  Phillips,  then  lately 
deceased,  had  left  a  bequest  of  five  thousand  dol- 
lars, the  income  of  which  was  to  be  appropriated 
to  the  purchase  of  religious  bisoks  and  tracts,  for 
distribution  among  the  poor.  The  dispensing  of 
this  charity  was  committed  to  the  Trustees  of 
Phillips  Academy,  of  whom  Dr.  Morse  was  one. 
In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  George  Burder,  written 
about  this  time,  he  mentions  that  this  legacy  of 
Governor  Phillips  had  suggested  the  idea  of  a 
new  Society,  which  he  says  \vill  probably  be 
formed  in  a  few  weeks,  and  asks  for  the  printed 
Constitutions,  &c.,  of  similar  Societies  in  Eng- 
land. The  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,  the  intended  formation  of  which  he 
here  refers  to,  was  not  established  till  September, 
1803. 

But  meanwhile  his  zeal  in  the  promotion  of 
this  good  cause  suffered  no  abatement.  In  the 
fall  of  1802  there  were  printed,  under  his  super- 


152 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHrLANTHROPIST. 


intendence,  editions  of  no  less  than  nineteen 
Tracts,  amounting  to  thirty-two  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  six  copies.  Of  these  publications 
some  were  selections  from  the  writings  of  Edwards 
and  Doddridge,  and  others  reprints  of  English 
Tracts  which  he  had  received  from  the  venerable 
Dr.  Erskine  of  Scotland.  The  largest  amount  sub- 
scribed for  this  purpose  was  by  his  parishioner, 
Richard  Devens  ;  which  led  his  Pastor  to  say  of 
him,  in  an  obituary  notice,  five  years  later,  that 
"  he  gave  away  one  hundred  thousand  tracts, 
Bibles,  &c.,  during  his  life-time." 

The  Tracts  were  sent  chiefly  to  the  new  settle- 
ments in  Maine,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  They 
were  put  up  in  parcels  of  sixty  each ;  and  a 
package,  containing  from  fifteen  to  forty  parcels, 
was  sent  to  a  responsible  person,  minister  or 
layman,  in  each  town,  with  a  letter  of  which  the 
following  is  a  sample  : 

"  CiiARLESTOWS,  18  September,  1802. 
"  My  Dear  Sir :  On  the  15th  instuDt  I  put  ou  board  the 
schooner  William  Henry  one  box  of  books,  and  one  package 
containing  twent^'-seven  small  parcels,  which  I  hope  yon  re- 
ceived safely.  Similar  packages  are  sent  to  all  the  towns  in 
Maine.  They  are  put  into  my  hands  by  persons  whose  names 
are  not  to  be  disclosed.  I  have  to  request  y^ou  to  send  one  of 
these  bundles,  as  soon  as  convenient,  to  each  minister  in  Ken- 
nebeck  county,  and,  where  there  is  no  minister,  to  some  other 
suitable  man  in  the  town,  and  to  accompany  each  package  with 
a  letter  like  the  one  addressed  to  you,  in  3-ours.  They  are  to 
be  distributed  at  the  discretion  of  the  minister  or  other  person 
to  whom  they  are  committed.  You  will  please  to  send  me  a 
receipt  for  the  packages  you  receive,  and  take  a  receipt  for 
each  one  delivered,  and  send  to  me  the  receipts,  that  I  may 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  riULAMlIROPIST. 


153 


exhibit  them  as  vouchers  of  my  fidelity  to  the  gentlemen  who 
put  the  books  into  niy  hands. 

"  I  wish  to  be  particularly  informed,  and  as  early  as  con- 
venient, what  reception  the  books  meet  with  from  those  to  whom 
they  are  given,  and  of  any  good  effects  produced.  Such  in- 
formation will  govern  future  proceedings  of  the  kind.  If  these 
do  good,  more  will  be  sent. 

I  persuade  myself  you  will  consider  this  business  worthy 
of  your  attention  ;  and  that  the  good  you  may  do  in  tluis  dis- 
pensing the  charity  of  benevolent  men,  and  in  collecting  and 
transmitting  to  me  the  fruits  of  this  charity,  will  be  an  ample 
reward  for  the  labour  you  may  bestow. 

"  With  esteem,  your  friend  and  brother,       J.  MORSE." 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander,  of  Princeton, 
then  a  resident  of  Prince  Edward  county,  Va., 
writes  him,  under  date  of  19th  of  November, 
1802,  as  follows: 

"I  am  much  pleased  with  the  hint  given  of  a  plan  on  foot  to 
institute  a  Society  for  the  circulation  of  useful  Tracts.  I  am 
persuaded  much  good  might  be  done  by  such  means.  In  this 
country  especially,  where  religious  books  arc  so  scarce  among 
the  lower  classes  of  society,  vast  advantages  would  result  from 
the  circulation  of  good  books  or  pamphlets.  It  occurs  to  me  that 
if  suitable  persons  could  be  procured  to  carry  such  about  the 
country  for  sale  in  carts  (as  the  Connecticut  people  do  their  small 
articles  of  merchandise),  the  desired  ends  would  be  answered 
more  completely  than  in  any  other  way.  A  cheap  assortment 
of  valuable  religious  books  and  tracts  would  sell  very  well,  and 
easily  repay  the  expense  incurred. 

"  I  greatly  wish  that  some  plan  could  be  devised  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  Christianity  among  the  poor  ignorant  negroes  of 
this  country.  What  occurs  to  me  as  most  likely  to  be  useful 
is  the  distribution  of  Bibles,  Testaments,  Hymn  Books,  &c.,  to 
such  as  would  learn  to  read.  The  effect  of  such  a  measure 
would  be  very  great,  I  know  from  fact.  Formerly  such  book* 
were  sent  over  bj  the  Society  in  Londoa,  and  were  given  to 


154  raS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTIIROPIST. 

such  as  expressed  a  great  desire  to  learn.  And  I  am  acquainted 
with  a  considerable  number  who  were  induced  by  these  means 
to  learn  to  read.  And  what  is  remarkable,  some  of  them  were 
grown  up  before  they  were  brought  from  Africa.  I  know  an 
old  African,  who,  I  suppose,  is  nearly  ninet}',  who  retains  to  this 
day  the  Bible  giv<jn  to  him  fifty  years  ago.  I  am  acquainted 
also  with  the  case  of  a  negro  woman,  who  is  supposed  to  be  a 
hundred  years  old,  who  can  read  the  Bible  without  spectacles, 
who  also  was  taught  by  the  same  means.  If  your  benevolent 
Society  would  turn  their  attention  to  these  unfortunate  crea- 
tures, I  would  undertake  the  distribution  of  any  books  or  tracts 
they  would  please  to  furnish." 

The  Hampshire  (in  Massachusetts)  Missionary 
Society,  established  in  1802,  undertook,  among 
its  other  benevolent  agencies,  the  distribution 
of  Books  and  Tracts  in  the  new  settlements. 
Of  this  Society,  his  intimate  friend.  Dr.  Lyman, 
of  Hatfield,  was  a  Trustee ;  and  the  letters  that 
passed  between  them  at  this  period  (spring  and 
summer  of  1803)  showed  the  deep  interest  wliich 
the}''  respectively  felt  in  the  subject.  The  pub- 
lications of  the  Hampshire  Society  being  different 
from  those  issued  under  Dr.  Morse's  supervision, 
frequent  exchanges  were  made  by  the  two  friends 
for  the  supply  of  their  respective  fields.  They 
also  made  a  joint  effort  for  publishing  works, 
which  neither  party  felt  able  to  publish  alone. 
It  was  the  day  of  email  things ;  and  an  edition 
of  three  thousand  copies  of  Doddridge's  *  Rise  and 
Progress'  required  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
Hampshire  Missionary  Society,  the  Society  for 
Propagating  the  Gospel,  and  the  Phillips  Fund ; 
and  when  only  two  thousand  copies  had  been 


raS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTIIROriST. 


155 


subscribed  for,  nnd  the  contract  with  the  printer 
was  likely  to  fail,  because  one  thousand  copies 
would  remain  on  hand,  said  Dr.  Morse, — "  Let  the 
three  thousand  be  printed,  agreeably  to  the  con- 
tract— I  will  take  what  are  not  taken  by  subscri- 
bers and  the  Societies." 

The  Constitution  of  the  Massachusetts  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge — the  outlines 
of  which  had  been,  on  the  loth  of  April  previous, 
read  and  referred  to  a  Committee — was  discussed, 
adopted  and  signed,  on  the  1st  of  September, 
1803,  by  twelve  associates, — namely,  Samuel 
Abbot,  Daniel  Chaplin,  William  Coombs,  Joseph 
Dana,  Jonathan  French,  Caleb  Gannett,  William 
Greenough,  Abiel  Holmes,  Jed  id  i  ah  Morse,  Eliph- 
alet  Pearson,  John  Phillips  and  John  Treadwell. 
Tliey  had  "solemnly  associated  themselves  for 
the  benevolent  purpose  of  promoting  evangelical 
trutli  and  piety;  in  the  tirst  place  by  a  charit- 
able distribution  of  some  of  the  best  relisrious 
books  and  tracts  among  poor  and  pious  Christians, 
to  Avhom  such  writings  may  be  peculiarly  grate- 
ful, and  also  among  the  inhabitants  of  new  towns 
and  plantations,  or  other  places  where  the  means  of 
religious  knowledge  and  instruction  are  but  spar- 
ingly enjoyed;  and  in  process  of  time,  if  ability 
permit,  and  circumstances  appear  to  require  it, 
by  supporting  charitj'  schools  or  pious  mission- 
aries in  the  places  just  described,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  instructing  and  establishing  the  young 
and  ignorant  in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and 


156         ms  LABouss  as  a  philantubopist. 


in  the  great  doctrines  and  duties  of  our  holy 
religion." 

Dr.  Morse  was  appointed  Secretarj'  of  this 
Society.  His  personal  *  Record '  was  now  super- 
seded; and  in  the  Society's  Books  he  entered 
the  names  of  donors  and  amounts  of  donations. 
He  also  still  kept  up  an  extensive  correspondence 
with  charitable  individuals,  and  with  kindred 
Societies  at  home  and  abroad.  He  continued  to 
hold  the  office  of  Secretary  till  the  period  of  his 
removal  from  Charlestown.  The  letter  grate- 
fully acknowledging  his  services,  on  the  resigna- 
tion of  his  office,  is  dated  25  May,  1819. 

The  idea  out  of  which  grew  the  New  England, 
now  the  American,  Tract  Society,  originated  at 
the  weekly  Monday  evening  meeting  of  the  Pro- 
fessors of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover, 
in  January,  1814;  and  the  co-operation  of  Dr. 
Morse,  from  his  known  experience  in  that  depart- 
ment of  Christian  charity,  was  at  once  solicited. 
Before  the  close  of  the  month  he  and  Mr.  Evarts 
were  consulted  in  regard  to  the  plan,  and  were 
appointed  with  Samuel  Farrar,  John  Adams, 
Principal  of  the  Phillips  Academy,  and  the  Rev. 
John  Codman,  a  temporary  Executive  Committee, 
Dr.  Morse  being  the  Chairman.  In  a  list  of  sixty 
founders  by  donations  early  in  1814,  only  three 
subscribed  a  larger  amount  than  himself. 

It  devolved  partly  upon  him  also  to  select 
tracts  and  secure  funds  for  their  publication. 
In  March  a  Circular  Letter  was  issued  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  soliciting  aid  by  subscrip- 


raS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILAN'TirROPIST.  157 


tions  and  by  the  formation  of  Auxiliary  Societies. 
They  succeeded  thus  in  printing  editions  of  fifty 
tracts,  making  in  the  aggregate  two  hundred 
and  ninetj'-seven  thousand  copies. 

When  the  Society  was  organized,  on  tlie  23d 
of  May,  he  was  chosen  Vice  President  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  hehl  both 
offices  till  his  removal  from  Charlestown,  in 
1820.  In  the  first  Annual  Report,  May.  181G,  « 
he  speaks  of  the  organization  as  not  beiug  a 
Charitable  Society,  engaging  in  the  gratuitous 
distribution  of  tracts,  but  furnishing  them  in 
ample  measure  and  on  easy  terms  to  existing 
Tract  Societies,  and  other  benevolent  agencies, 
for  this  purpose.  He  states  that  all  the  pecuniary 
demands  against  the  Society  have  been  met ;  and 
also  that  a  permanent  connection  has  been  formed 
with  the  printers  on  such  terms  that  the  tracts 
will  be  printed  to  any  amount  required.  He  adds  : 

This  completes  the  system,  and,  in  an  important  sense, 
makes  it  easy,  consistent  and  perpetual.  The  Committee  have, 
therefore,  the  satisfaction  to  announce  that,  at  the  close  of  the 
first  year,  a  degree  of  perfection  has  been  attained  in  the 
internal  state  of  the  Society,  and  in  the  extent  of  its  operations, 
altogether  unlocked  for  at  its  origin." 

CIRCULATION  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Dr.  Morse's  interest  in  Bible  Societies  pre- 
ceded by  several  years  the  formation  of  the  first 
Bible  Society  in  the  United  States.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1805,  when  he  established  the  Panoplist, 
he  inserted  in  the  third  Number  a  notice  of 
14 


158 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


the  then  recent  formation  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society ;  and,  from  time  to  time, 
in  subsequent  Numbers,  he  recorded  the  rapid 
growth  of  that  noble  institution  in  funds,  and  the 
extension  of  its  influence  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe  in  the  formation  of  other  Bible  Societies 
in  German}^  France  and  Prussia,  to  furnish  the 
bread  of  life  to  famishing  millions. 

The  idea  of  forminj:;  a  similar  Society  in  this 
country  had  been  suggested  as  early  as  1806,  and 
again  in  1807,  but  it  did  not  take  effect  until 
December,  1808,  when  such  a  Society  was  formed 
in  Philadelphia ;  and  a  few  months  later  was 
formed  the  Connecticut  Bible  Society. 

A  meeting  being  called  for  the  6th  of  July  in 
Boston  to  consider  the  expediency  of  forming  a 
similar  State  Association  for  Massachusetts,  he 
w  rote  to  Robert  Ralston,  Treasurer,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  James  Gray,  Corresponding  Secretary,  of  the 
Philadelphia  Societ^^  from  whom  he  received,  in 
due  time,  the  desired  information  concerning  the 
condition  and  prospects  of  that  institution.  This 
information  he  laid  before  the  meeting  at  which 
the  Massachusetts  Bible  Society  was  formed  in 
Boston,  on  the  13th  of  July,  1809,— William  Phil- 
lips, Esq.,  being  chosen  President. 

On  his  journey  to  the  South  in  1809,  he  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  Mr.  Ralston,  suggesting  the 
desirableness  of  a  National  Bible  Society,  and 
suggesting  the  outline  of  a  plan  on  which  he 
thought  it  should  be  formed.    The  answer  was 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  PIULuVXTIlROriST. 


159 


not  favourable  to  engaging  immediately  in  such 
an  enterprise.    Mr.  Ralston  writes  in  reply : 

"  Your  valuable  and  interesting  letter  has  been  shown  to  Dr. 
Green  and  31  r.  Jancwa}',  and  the  important  subject  it  contains 
maturely  reflected  upon.  The  result  is  a  belief  that  a  Gene- 
ral liiblc  Society,  at  the  present  time,  will  not  be  expedient. 
*  *  *  The  plan  you  suggest,  whenever  it  shall  be  proper 
to  make  the  attempt,  is  considered  a  very  good  one, — that  of 
conducting  the  business  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  2sational 
Bank  and  its  branches." 

He  now  applied  himself  the  more  earnestly  to 
the  formation  of  local  Societies ;  and  his  eftbrts 
in  this  way  were  eminently  successful.  Before 
the  close  of  his  visit  to  the  South  he  wrote  to 
his  father, — '*  Three  Bible  Societies  are  in  a  Aiir 
way  to  be  established — at  Charleston,  Beaufort 
and  Savannah."  To  the  formation  of  eacli  of 
these  he  was  an  efficient  contributor.  Tliat  in 
Beaufort  was  formed  in  March  before  he  returned 
to  the  North.  Seven  hundred  dollars  were  raised 
in  that  small  town,  three  hundred  of  wliich  were 
appropriated  to  purchase  Bibles  in  Piiiladelphia. 
After  his  return  home,  he  had  the  pleasure  to 
hear  of  the  formation  of  the  Bible  Society  of 
Charleston,  its  President  being  General  Charles 
Cotesworth  Pinckney.  And  at  a  little  later 
period  came  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  a 
similar  Society  Avas  formed  in  Savannah,  under 
the  most  f^ivourable  auspices.  Though  the  two 
last  mentioned  Societies  were  formed  after  he 
left  the  South,  it  is  believed  that  both  of  them 
had  their  origin  in  his  intense  and  ever  active 
desire  to  do  good. 


160 


HIS  IiABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANT11BOPI8T. 


At  a  meeting  called  at  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts, in  February,  1814,  he  was  appointed,  with 
six  others,  to  draft  the  Constitution  of  the  Mid- 
dlesex (County)  Bible  Society,  which  was  adopted 
the  next  month.  Of  this  Society  he  was  chosen 
one  of  the  five  Vice  Presidents. 

The  American  Bible  Society  was  formed  in 
181G.  Early  in  that  3'ear  the  New  York  and 
New  Jersey  Bible  Societies  issued  their  call  for 
a  Convention  of  Delegates  from  Bible  Societies 
disposed  to  concur  in  the  measure,  to  meet  in  the 
city  of  New  York  th^  second  Wednesday  of  the 
ensuing  May.  He  was  present  at  that  meeting, 
and  was  one  of  the  Committee  of  eleven,  ap- 
pointed to  draft  the  Constitution  and  the  Address 
to  the  People.  Of  this  meeting  he  gives  on  the 
spot  the  following  account : 

'  "  10th  of  May.— On  Wednesday  (the  8th)  the  Delegates  and 
others,  a  very  respectable  Body,  some  from  distant  parts  of  the 
Union,  met,  and  as  Dr.  Boudinot  could  not  be  present,  nor 
Governor  Jay,  3Ir.  Wallace,  a  respectable  Episcopalian  and 
layman,  the  friend  and  relative  of  Dr.  Boudinot,  vras  appointed 
to  the  chair,  and  Dr.  Romeyn  and  Mr.  (Lyman)  Beecher, 
Secretaries.  The  discussion  was  animated,  frank,  independent 
and  conciliatory ;  and  late  in  the  afternoon  the  vote  to  form  an 
independent  National  Society  passed  unanimously.  A  Com- 
mittee of  eleven  members  was  appointed  to  draft  a  Constitution 
and  an  Address  to  the  People,  and  the  meeting  adjourned  to 
this  day,  10  o'clock,  to  receive  the  Report  of  the  Committee, 
consisting  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nott,  of  Schenectady,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Mason,  of  New  York,  (who  has  prepared  the  Address),  Samuel 
Bayard,  Esq.,  Rev.  S.  Wilmer  and  Rev.  Dr.  Jones,  of  New 
Jersey,  Rev.  L.  Beecher,  of  Connecticut,  Charles  Wright, 
Esq.,  of  Long  Island,  Rev.  John  H.  Rice,  of  Virginia,  Rev. 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHKOPIST.  161 


Dr.  Morse,  of  ^Massachusetts,  William  J.iy,  Esq.,  of  West- 
chester County,  N.  Y.,  and  Rev.  Dr.  BIythc,  of  Kentucky. 
The  Committee  sat  yesterday  all  day ;  and  this  morning  they 
have  unaniniou!?ly  agreed  on  a  Constitution  and  Address,  which 
are  to  be  reported  an  hour  hence.  Wc  hope  these  will  be 
unanimously  adopted.  There  is  great  interest  taken  in  this 
matter,  and  by  such  men  as,  with  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  will 
give  it  a  strong  impulse.  Our  hopes  are  high.  We  think 
jealousies  will  subside.  Every  thing  will  be  done  to  remove 
them." 

A  few  hours  later,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting, 
he  writes: 

"  I  have  great  pleasure  in  informing  you  tliat  the  Constitu- 
tion and  Address  and  measures  for  the  com  plot  c  organization 
of  the  Society,  after  a  few  hours  of  interesting  di>cussion,  were 
all  unanimously,  and  with  a  marvellous  cordi.vlity,  adopted  by 
a  very  full  Convention.  A  unanimity  in  so  mixed  a  Body  of  all 
denominations  of  Christians, — Quakers  and  Roman  Catholics 
among  the  rest, — so  unexpected,  perfect  and  affectionate,  had 
a  surprising  effect  on  the  Convention,  and  drew  tears  of  joy 
from  many  eyes.  It  has  been  one  of  the  most  interesting  and 
happiest  meetings  of  the  kind  that  I  ever  attended.  It  excites 
much  interest  in  this  city.  We  have  adjourned  till  to-morrow 
ten  o'clock.  Meanwhile  the  thirty-six  Managers,  already  con- 
stituted, will  meet  and  appoint,  agreeably  to  the  Constitution, 
the  rest  of  the  officers  of  the  Society.  On  the  Sabbath  public 
notice  is  to  be  given  from  the  pulpits  to  the  citizens  to  meet  on 
]\Ionday,  and  enrol  their  names  as  members  of  the  Society.  A 
strong  impulse  will  be  given  to  the  institution  in  this  city. 
Every  thing  augurs  well." 

The  deep  interest  which  Dr.  Morse  thus  mani- 
fested in  the  American  Bible  Society,  at  its  forma- 
tion, never  subsequently  waned ;   and  though, 
owing  to  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was 
.  placed,  his  active  efforts  in  its  behalf  were  not 


1G2 


HIS  iJkBOUBS  AS  A  PHUJ^THKOPIST. 


continued,  yet  he  never  ceased  to  regard  it  with 
the  warmest  interest  as  one  of  the  grand  agen- 
cies employ  ed  hy  the  American  Church  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world. 

FOREIGN  MISSION'S. 

Dr.  Morse,  in  becoming  a  member  of  the 
General  Association  in  June  1811,  became  eli- 
gible to  a  seat  in  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions.  At  their  first 
meeting,  which  occurred  the  previous  year  (1810), 
on  motion  of  Drs.  Worcester  and  Spring,  the 
General  Association  had  appointed  four  indi- 
viduals from  Connecticut, — namely.  His  Excel- 
lency John  Treadwell,  Timothy  Dwight,  D.  D., 
General  Jedidiah  Huntington,  and  the  Rev. 
Calvin  Chapin ;  and  four  from  Massacliusetts, — 
namely,  Jose})h  Lyman,  D.  D.,  William  Bartlett, 
Esq.,  the  11  ev.  Samuel  Worcester  and  Deacon 
Samuel  II.  Wulley,"  a  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  to  devise  ways  and  means,  and 
adopt  measures  for  promoting  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  in  Heathen  lands."  This  Committee  had 
been  chosen  for  the  year  only,  and  the  subse- 
quent election  of  the  Connecticut  members  was 
confided  to  the  General  Association  of  that  State. 
At  the  meeting  of  1811  Deacon  Walley  resigned 
his  seat  in  the  Board,  but  the  other  Massachu- 
setts members  were  re-elected,  and  Dr.  Morse 
was  added  to  their  number. 

Early  in  the  year  1812  the  American  Board 
Bent  out  its  first  band  of  missionaries  to  India, —  . 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PIILLANTnROPIST. 


1G3 


consisting  of  Messrs.  Adonirara  Judson,  Samuel 
Nott  and  Samuel  Newell  and  wives,  and  Messrs. 
Gordon  Hall  and  Lutlier  Rice.  While  they  were 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  embark,  the  Pru- 
dential Committee, — Dr.  Spring,  Dr.  Worcester 
and  Mr.  Bartlett,  learned  that  a  vessel,  the 
Harmony  of  Philadelphia,  was  about  to  sail  for 
Calcutta,  and  would  take  the  missionaries  as 
passengers;  whereupon  they  met  at  Newbury- 
port,  on  the  27th  of  January,  to  take  the  subject 
into  consideration.  The  result  of  their  delibera- 
tions Tvas  a  unanimous  agreement  in  the  opinion 
that  they  ought  to  embrace  the  opportunity 
which  then  offered  for  conveying  their  mission- 
aries to  their  allotted  field.  But,  in  order  to 
accomplish  their  object,  they  found  it  necessary 
'  to  raise,  within  a  week  or  ten  days,  at  least  two 
tliousand  dollars  more  than  they  could  then  com- 
mand. The  desired  sum  seems  to  have  been 
obtained ;  for  the  Ordination  took  place  on  the 
6th  of  February.  The  service  was  performed  in 
the  Tabernacle  Church,  Salem ;  and  the  churches 
represented  in  the  Council  were  Dr.  Spriiig's, 
Dr.  Morse's,  and  the  Tabernacle.  The  other 
ministers  invited  were  Dr.  Griffin,  Dr.  Woods, 
and  the  Rev.  Moses  Stuart,  the  three  Professors  in 
the  Andover  Theological  Semin.iry.  Dr.  Woods 
preached  the  Sermon,  Dr.  Morse  offered  the  Con- 
secrating Prayer,  and  Dr.  Spring  delivered  the 
Charge. 

Six  days  later  (12  February)  Dr.  Morse's  name, 
with  Dr.  Worcester's,  was  signed  to  a  petition 


164  HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PllILANTHItOPIST. 


presented  to  the  Massachusetts  Legishiture  for  a 
Charter  for  the  Board.  Owing,  as  he  heliev6d, 
to  a  prejudice  which  some  of  the  members  of  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  had  con- 
tracted against  himself,  and  especially  to  a  want 
of  sj'uipathy  with  the  religious  views  maintained 
by  the  Board,  the  bill  failed  to  pass ;  but  it  was 
called  up  by  the  next  Legislature  and  became  a 
law.  B}"^  this  Act  of  Incorporation  the  Board 
became  independent  of  the  General  Association, 
■who,  at  their  annual  meeting,  the  same  month, 
(Doctors  Spring  and  Morse  being  present),  "  Voted 
that  the  measures  adopted  by  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  in 
procuring  the  Act  of  Incorporation  for  securing 
its  funds,  meet  the  entire  approbation  of  this 
Body." 

In  consequence  of  the  AYar  existing  at  this 
time  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  the  East  India  Company  manifested  little 
sympathy  with  the  American  missionary  enter- 
prise, suspecting  that  there  was  some  political 
plot  concealed  under  the  guise  of  religion.  In 
these  circumstances,  Dr.  Morse  wrote,  in  behalf 
of  the  American  Board,  in  August,  1814,  to  Mr. 
Wilberforce,  invoking  his  aid  and  that  of  Mr. 
Charles  Grant,  a  member  of  the  Court  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  East  India  Company,  in  removing 
these  prejudices  and  securing  to  the  missionaries 
the  requisite  facilities  for  the  prosecution  of 
their  Avork.  Mr.  Wilberforce  replies  early  in 
October : 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PIIILANTIIROriST. 


165 


"  Two  days  ago,  I  received  jour  letter.  *  *  *  j  ^jjj 
write  to  Mr.  Grant.  *  *  ♦  I  greatly  fear  we  shall  fail, 
though  I  promise  you  I  will  use  all  my  best  endcavonrs,  and 
I  think  I  may  venture  to  promise  the  same  for  ni}-  friend,  ^Ir. 
Grant,  and  for  several  others  also.  But  you  will  perhaps  be 
surprised  to  hear  that,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  passed  in 
the  Ilouse  of  Commons  the  present  spring,  the  East  India 
Directors  refused  the  very  first  application  which  was  made 
under  the  new  charter  for  leave  for  a  missionary  to  go  out. 
And,  by  the  way,  I  might  tell  you  that  one  of  the  arguments 
urged  against  it  was  the  misconduct  of  some  of  your  country's 
missionaries,  who  had  gone  without  leave,  and  it  was  alleged 
contrary  to  their  OAvn  engagement,  to  Bombay  from  Calcutta, 
and  had  shown  some  letters  which  Mr.  Thompson,  your  coun- 
try's Chaplain,  had  written  to  them,  thereby,  by  the  way,  I 
heard,  exciting  so  much  anger  against  him,  that  there  was  once 
an  idea  of  removing  or  punishing  him  for  this  misconduct.  It 
is  to  be  regretted  also  that  some  of  your  missionaries  should 
become  Baptists,  almost  immediately  after  their  arrival  in 
India.  It  is  an  indication,  the  ill-disposed  will  say,  of  an  un- 
settled mind,  and  suggests  the  suspicion  that  the  Society  which 
selected  them  was  hasty  or  misjudging.  I  write  to  you  with 
the  freedom  of  a  friend,  and  trusting  that  you  will  not  suppose 
I  keep  behind  more  than  I  express.  Neither  need  I,  I  am 
persuaded,  enforce  on  you  the  practical  inference  fairly  to  bi 
drawn  from  these  various  incidents. 

"  12  October.  I  have  received  from  my  dear  friend,  Mr. 
Charles  Grant,  a  letter  confirming  but  too  fully  all  my  gloomy 
anticipations.  Indeed  he  suggests,  and  I  quite  concur  with 
him  in  the  opinion,  that  it  would  be  more  prudent  not  to  pre- 
sent to  the  Court  of  Directors  the  petition  (of  the  Board),  on 
the  ground  of  its  probably  increasing  the  obstacles  another 
time,  without  doing  any  good  now.  I  trust,  after  what  I  have 
published  to  the  world  as  my  sentiments,  I  need  not  assure  you 
that  you  cannot  condemn  or  regret  this  conduct  of  the  Court 
of  Directors  more  strongly  than  I  do." 

But,  notwithstanding  all  these  discouragements, 
Mr.  Grant  finally  prevailed,  and  through  his  in- 


16G 


mS  LABOUES  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


fluence  mainly  that  Body  "  avowed  their  belief 
that  the  object  of  the  American  Missionaries  was 
simpl}'^  the  promotion  of  religion,  and  authorized 
the  Governor  of  Bombay,  Sir  Evan  Nepean,  to 
allow  them  to  remain." 

Dr.  Morse's  interest  in  the  American  Board 
continued  undiminished  till  the  close  of  life. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Prudential 
Committee  in  1815,  and  continued  in  this  re- 
sponsible position  until  his  final  removal  from 
Charlestown.  Tlie  Reports  of  the  Board  in 
sficcessive  years  show  that  he  was  most  punctual 
in  his  attendance  on  its  annual  meetings,  and 
always  ready  to  perform  any  service  that  might 
be  allotted  to  him.  In  1821,  when  the  Board 
met  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  he  preached  the  Anni- 
versary Sermon  ;  and  though  the  sermon  was 
prepared  on  short  notice,  as  he  was  called  un- 
expectedly to  take  the  place  of  the  Bev.  Dr. 
Proudfit,  who  was  prevented  by  ill  health  from 
fulfilling  the  appointment,  yet  it  was  eminently 
appropriate  and  was  written  with  marked  ability. 
As  his  influence  had  much  to  do  in  moulding 
the  character  of  the  institution  in  its  incipient 
stages,  80  he  evidently'  bore  it  upon  his  heart  to 
the  last ;  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  to  scarcely 
an}"^  other  individual  was  it  more  indebted  than 
to  him  for  the  elements  of  its  remarkable  and 
enduring  success. 


niS  I^VDOURS  AS  A  PnrLANTTIROriST.  1G7 


CHARLESTOWN  ASSOCIATION  FOR  THE    REFORMATION  OF 

MORALS. 

Early  in  1813  Dr.  Morse  engaged  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Charlestown  Association  for  the 
Reformation  of  Morals."  He  drafted  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  Society,  and  was  chosen  its 
President.  The  object  of  the  Society  was  to  dis- 
countenance and  suppress,  especially  among  the 
youth,  the  prevailing  vices  of  idleness,  falsehood, 
disobedience  to  parents,  gambling  of  every  sort, 
intemperance,  profaneness,  dishonesty,  and  Sab- 
bath-breakinir,  Avith  their  kindred  vices. 

In  November  the  Stand inj;  Committee  of  this 
Society  issued  a  printed  Circular  Letter,  calling 
the  public  attention  to  the  alarming  increase 
of  the  business  of  distilling  and  vending  ardent 
spirits. 

Dr.  Porter,  of  the  Andover  Theological  Semi- 
nary, writes  him,  February  13,  1814: 

"I  cougratulatc  you  on  the  auspicious  progress  of  your 
measures  of  Ilcform.  While  the  State  Society  drags  its  slow 
length  along,  your  Charlestown  Circular  is  producing  effect 
extensively."  A  letter  to  him  from  a  clergyman  in  Vermont 
states  that  in  the  town  where  he  resided  a  similar  Society  had 
been  formed,  and  adds :  "  Moral  Societies  are  forming  generally, 
I  believe,  through  this  State." 

IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

Dr.  Morse's  interest  in  behalf  of  the  Indians 
began  to  discover  itself  as  early  as  179G,  when, 
as  already  related,  as  a  member  of  the  Society  in 
Boston  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  among  the 


1G8 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHEOPIST. 


Indians,  and  others  in  North  America,  he  made 
a  visit,  in  company  with  Dr.  Belknap,  to  the 
Stockbridge  tribe  in  Oneida  Count}',  N.  Y.  In 
1810,  when  he  was  obliged,  on  account  of  feeble 
health,  to  resign  his  Secretaryship,  he  still  re- 
mained in  official  connection  with  this  Society, 
and  was  always  ready  to  promote  its  interests  by 
any  means  in  liis  power.  In  December,  1817,  he 
acted  with  Dr.  Holmes,  as  the  Society's  Com- 
mittee, to  confer  withDe^'^itt  Clir.ton,  Governor 
of  New  York,  in  relation  to  the  taking  of  some 
more  active  measures  by  that  State  for  improv- 
ing the  condition  of  the  Indians  within  its 
borders.  At  this  time  there  was  a  desire  exten- 
sivel}"^  manifested  by  these  Indians  to  remove  to 
the  AVest. 

To  the  Stockbridge,  Delaware  and  some  other 
tribes  of  Indians,  a  large  tract  of  land  on  White 
River,  a  branch  of  the  Wabash  in  Indiana,  had 
been  given  more  than  a  century  before,  by  the 
Miamis;  and  more  than  eight  hundred  of  the 
Delaware  tribe  had  actually  removed  thither. 
In  the  spring  of  1S17  it  was  stated,  in  one  of  the 
Boston  newspapers,  that  the  Dela wares  had  sold 
out  the  rights  of  the  Stockbridge  tribe  to  white 
men.  Alarmed  by  this  report,  the  Stockbridge 
Indians  wrote  to  the  Delawares,  who  promptly 
denied  the  charge,  and  said  they  were  waiting  to 
see  their  brothers :  "  When  we  rise  in  the  morn- 
ing, we  have  our  eyes  fixed  towards  the  way  you 
are  coming,  hoping  you  will  sit  down  by  us  as  a 
nation."     This  statement  was  confirmed  by  a 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  riHI^VNTIIROriST. 


1G9 


letter,  written  about  the  same  time,  by  Mr.  John- 
son, the  Indian  Agent. 

While  he  was  thus  encouraged  in  regard  to  the 
success  of  this  project  of  emigration,  he  addressed 
a  letter  to  the  Ilev.  Dr.  Campbell,  Secretary  of 
the  Society  in  Scotland,  (February,  1818,)  from 
which  the  following  is  an  extract: 

"  Other  ways  of  spending  this  money  (the  money  appropriated 
to  the  support  of  Moor's  Indian  School)  and  also  the  income 
(»f  other  funds  in  your  treasury,  destined  to  the  benefit  of  tho 
Indians  in  this  country,  have  lately  been  opened  in  Providence 
in  a  wonderful  manner.  The  subject,  as  it  has  presented  itself 
to  my  view,  is  too  copious  for  a  letter.  I  refer  you  and  your 
Board  to  the  accompanying  printed  and  manuscript  documents 
for  some  important  details.  Summarily  I  would  say,  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  (whose 
last  Reports  I  send  you)  have  established  a  mission  and  schools 
among  the  Cherokee  Indians  with  hopeful  prospects ;  and  are 
preparing  to  make  like  establishments  amcng  the  Choctaws 
Chickasaws  and  Creeks.  The  United  States  Government 
favours  the  object  and  lends  its  aid. 

"  There  is  a  remarkable  desire  among  the  Indians  extensively 
to  receive  the  offered  blessings.  The  Stockbridge,  Oneida, 
Seneca  and  other  tribes,  having  become  reduced  in  numbers, 
are  disposed  to  sell  their  rich  lands,  and  to  remove  to  the  tract 
of  country  reserved  for  the  Delawares  on  White  Biver  in  Indi- 
ana." He  then  suggests  that  the  Society  in  Scotland  appoint 
an  Agent  to  visit  the  Government  of  New  York,  and  mature 
the  business  which  had  been  put  in  a  favourable  train  by  his 
former  communications  with  Governor  Clinton  ;  to  visit  the 
several  Indian  tribes  in  that  State,  ascertain  their  views,  plan 
for  them,  aid  them  in  the  disposal  of  their  lands  and  in  their 
removal.  He  concludes  thus:  "Any  member  of  our  Board, 
whom  you  would  appoyit,  (should  you  think  proper  to  appoint 
one),  would  not  decline  a  sorrioe  of  bo  great  importance  as  I 
conceive  this  to  be.**  . 

15 


170 


mS  LABOUB8  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


In  June  following,  Mr.  Sergeant,  the  Mission- 
ary to  the  Stockbridge  Indians  in  Oneida  County, 
writes  to  him  thus: 

"  Five  families  of  my  people  will  set  off  in  aboat  three  weeks 
for  White  River."  "But,"  he  adds,  "they  are  still  troubled  by 
reports  that  the  State  Government  of  Indiana  intend  to  pur- 
chase the  Indian  lands,  which,  if  they  should  do  so  by  a  stretch 
of  power, — for  the  United  States  Government  has  this  exclusive 
right, — there  will  be  an  end  to  the  proposed  plan." 

In  December  Mr.  Sergeant  writes  again : 

"  The  families  left  in  August,  consisting  of  a  third  part  of 
my  church-members,  and  a  quarter  part  of  the  tribes — in  all 
from  sixty  to  seventy  souls  from  Oneida.  They  did  not  set  out 
on  their  journey  so  soon  by  a  month  as  they  intended ;  and 
when  they  arrived,  the  lands  had  all  been  sold.  The  poor 
Delawares  had  been  forced  to  sell  their  lands.  When  remon- 
strated with  by  the  Stockbridge  Indians,  they  were  much  af- 
fected, and  said  they  would  write  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  aod  tell  him  how  greatly  they  had  been  de- 
ceived by  their  pretended  white  friends  in  Ohio  and  Indiana.' 

But  their  lands  were  sold,  and  the  Delawares 
had  no  longer  any  territor}*^  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. All  this  seemed  indeed  disheartening,  and 
yet  Dr.  Morse's  ever  hopeful  spirit  could  see 
light  in  the  distance. 

The  next  summer  (1819)  he  received,  in  reply 
to  his  letter  to  Dr.  Campbell,  a  Commission  from 
the  Society  in  Scotland,  dated  1  April,  1819,  as 
their  Agent,  the  sura  of  fifty  pounds  being  voted 
to  defray  his  expenses.  In  his  acceptance  of 
this  Commission,  originated  his  Indian  Agency ; 
and  he  would  have  engaged  in  it  during  that 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHROriST. 


171 


summer,  but  for  the  parish  troubles  which  de- 
tained him  in  Charlestown.  Being  now  wholly 
released  from  these  troubles,  his  Indian  Agency 
became  with  him  the  all-engrossing  object. 

It  w.as  an  eminently  favourable  time  for  the 
prosecution  of  such  an  enterprise.  To  aid  the 
Government  to  apply  judiciously  the  annual  ap- 
propriation of  ten  thousand  dollars,  which  Con- 
gress had  made  for  civilizing  the  Indians,  Mr. 
Callioun,  the  Secretary  of  War,  had  just  then 
(3  September,  1810)  issued  a  Circular,  by  order 
of  Mr.  Monroe,  to  disclose  the  views  of  the  Presi- 
dent, and  to  obtain  information  from  various 
individuals  and  Societies,  whose  attention  was 
directed  to  this  benevolent  object. 

Among  those  to  whom  the  Circular  was  sent 
was  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions.  To  this  Circular  the  Pru- 
dential Committee  of  that  Board,  of  which  Dr. 
Morse  was  a  member,  had  replied ;  and,  under  the 
impression  made  by  this  Circular  and  the  answer 
to  it,  he  wrote  thus  to  Dr  Campbell,  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1819: 

I  expect  in  about  a  month  to  commence  my  tour  of  sur- 
vey of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  our  country,  with  a  view  to  find  a 
suitable  place  for  establishing  a  mission  among  them.  Circum- 
stances have  prevented  my  going  earlier;  and  indeed  this  is  the 
best  season  of  the  year  for  the  purpose.  Events  of  recent 
occurrence  favour  our  project,  and  encourage  the  hope  of  ulti- 
mate success.  There  are  many  remains  of  Indian  tribes 
scattered  over  the  thickly  settled  parts  of  our  country,  en 
valuable  reservationfi  of  lands,  who  are  in  a  degraded  condition, 
a  prey  to  the  vices  and  frauds  of  their  white  neighbours  and 


172 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHmANTHBOPIST. 


diminishing  in  numbers.  They  amount  now  probably  to  fifteen 
or  twenty  thousand.  I  have  conceived  a  plan  for  the  rescue 
of  these  outcasts  from  civilized  society,  dwelling  yet  in  the  midst 
of  a  Christian  people.  I  propose,— clothed  with  the  authority 
I  possess  from  your  honourable  and  highly  respected  Board,  and 
probably  with  that  of  some  other  respectable  Societies  in  this 
country, — to  apply  in  person  to  the  Government  of  the  United 
States, — who  are  known  to  favour  such  plans, — to  give  or  sell, 
in  some  suitable  part  of  our  territory,  a  tract  of  country  sufli- 
cieutly  large  to  accommodate  these  scattered  and  parted  tribes, 
and  then  use  my  endeavours  personally  with  them,  severally, 
to  sell  their  lands  and  remove  to  this  new  residence.  Their 
lands  are  valuable,  and  will  sell  for  such  sums  as,  when  invested 
in  our  public  funds  and  secured  to  their  benefit,  will  be  aniple 
for  tlie  suppl}'  of  all  their  wants.  The  establishment  should 
consist  of  a  sufficient  number  of  missionaries,  school-masters, 
merchants  and  farmers  ;  the  Indians  to  hold  their  lauds  by  the 
same  tenure  as  their  white  neighbours,  become  freemen  and 
citizens,  and  ultimately  be  represented  in  the  Government. 
This  will  be,  I  believe,  the  first  attempt  of  the  kind  on  so  large 
a  scale  to  elevate  this  unhappy  race ;  and  should  it  succeed, 
your  Board  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  having  made  it." 

With  this  plan  in  view,  he  left  home  on  the 
20th  of  Octoher,  1819,  and  went  first  to  New 
York,  where  he  conferred  with  the  Managers  of 
the  United  Foreign  Mission  Society,  who  en- 
couraged the  enterprise.  Thence  he  proceeded 
to  Alhany,  and  Westward  to  Oneida  County ;  and 
at  the  latter  place  had  an  interviev/  with  the 
Chiefs  of  the  Stockhridge  Indians,  and  their  mis- 
sionary, Mr.  Sergeant,  and  was  requested  by  them 
to  make  known  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, when  he  shoidd  be  in  Washington,  their 
concurrence  in  his  views. 

The  Northern  Missionary  Society,  in  the  North- 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  rillLANTIIROriST. 


173 


crn  part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  also  commis- 
sioned him  as  their  agent.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Chester, 
of  Albany,  thus  notified  him  of  his  appointment: 

"Albany,  23  November,  1819.  I  have  much  pleasure  in 
informing  you  that  our  wishes  are  fully  accomplished.  Our 
meeting  yesterday  was  respectable  and  perfectly  unanimous. 
The  Society  has  taken  up  the  object  with  great  zeal ;  and  I 
feel  confident  that,  though  no  other  Society  should  come  for- 
ward to  your  aid,  ours  will  give  you  all  the  aid  in  its  power. 
The  Society  agreed  to  employ  you  for  three  months.  And  you 
arc  to  prosecute  your  inquiries  in  your  own  way.  They  voted 
that  they  had  so  much  confidence  in  your  ability,  zeal  and  dis- 
crcticm,  that  they  would  prescribe  no  duties,  but  leave  the  whole 
to  yourself.  You  would  have  been  gratified  with  the  cordial 
expressions  of  regard  for  your  character.  .  .  .  As  soon  as  I 
get  your  commission  from  the  Secretary,  I  will  forward  it  to 
you  at  Charlestown." 

He  returned  to  his  family  in  Charlestown  early 
in  December,  but  left  home  again  the  first  week 
in  the  new  year,  and,  after  visiting  Albany  and 
New  York,  proceeded  to  Washington,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  20th  of  January,  to  la}'  his  plan 
before  the  National  Government.  His  arrival 
was  very  opportune ;  for  the  Secretary  of  War 
had  just  then  (15  January,  1820)  communicated 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  his  Report  on 
the  subject  of  civilizing  the  Indians,  in  which 
he  says: 

"  No  part  of  the  appropriation  of  ten  thousand  dollars  annu- 
ally, made  at  the  last  session,  for  the  civilization  of  the  Indians, 
has  yet  been  applied.  The  President  was  of  the  opinion  that  the 
object  of  the  Act  would  be  more  certainly  eflFected  by  applying 
the  sum  appropriated,  in  aid  of  the  efforts  of  Societies  or  indi- 
viduals, who  might  feel  disposed  to  bestow  their  time  and 


174  HIS  IiABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHBOPI8T. 


resources  to  effect  the  object  contemplated  by  it ;  and  a  Girca> 
lar  was  addressed  to  those  individuals  and  Societies  who  -  have 
directed  their  attention  to  the  civilization  of  the  Indians." 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Washington,  he 
had  a  very  gratifying  interview  of  several  hours 
with  President  Monroe,  in  which  he  communi- 
catecl  freely  his  views  in  respect  to  the  object  of 
his  mission,  and  had  the  pleasure  to  hear  the 
President  express  his  hearty  concurrence  with 
them.    The  same  day  (January  2G)  he  writes : 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  visiting  the  Secretaries,  3Ir. 
Calhoun  particularly,  with  whom  my  business  chiefly  lies.  It 
is  agreed  by  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  War  that  I 
shall  be  appointed  the  Agent  of  the  United  States  Government, 
to  make  next  summer  and  winter  the  tours  I  proposed.  My 
commission  and  instructions  are  to  be  made  out  immediately. 
All  my  hopes  and  desires  are  accomplished.  Thanks  to  God 
for  his  goodness." 

His  Commission,  which  was  delivered  to  him 
by  the  Secretary,  on  the  7th  of  February,  is  as 
follows : 

"  Department  of  War,  7th  February,  1820. 
"Sir:  I  have  laid  before  the  President  your  proposition  to 
make  a  visit  of  observation  and  inspection  to  the  various 
Indian  tribes  in  our  immediate  neighbourhood,  in  order  to  ac- 
quire a  more  accurate  knowledge  of  their  actual  condition,  and 
to  devise  the  most  suitable  plan  to  advance  their  civilization 
and  happiness.  The  President  approves  of  the  proposed 
arrangements,  and  has  directed  me  to  allow  you  the  sum  of 
five  hundred  dollars  towards  the  expense  of  your  contemplated 
journey  ;  and  he  further  authorizes  me  to  state  to  you  that, 
should  your  actual  expense  exceed  that  sum,  the  excess  will  be 
allowed  you,  provided  the  state* of  the  appropriation  for  the 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  nilLANTHROriST.  175 


Indian  Department  will,  at  the  end  of  the  year,  justify  the 
allowance. 

*'  It  is  desirable  that  you  should  make  your  visit  to  the 
Northern  tribes  next  spring  and  summer,  and  to  the  Southern 
the  next  autumn  and  winter,  as  it  is  the  wish  of  the  Dcpart- 
nieni;  to  have  your  Keport  as  early  as  practicable,  in  order  to 
avail  itself  of  it  in  the  future  application  of  the  fund  for  the 
civilieation  of  the  Indians. 

"  I  enclose  a  general  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Superin- 
tendents and  Agents  for  Indian  Affairs,  with  a  list  of  their 
names-  and  residences,  who  will  afford  you  all  the  information 
and  facilities  in  their  power. 

"  Your  attention  will  be  directed  to  ascertain  the  actual  con. 
dltion  of  the  v;n-ious  tribes  which  you  n>ay  visit,  in  a  religious, 
moral  and  political  point  of  view,  and  your  Keport  to  the 
Department,  which  you  will  make  at  such  times  as  will  be  con- 
venient, will  comprehend  all  such  facts,  with  your  reflections  on 
them,  as  will  go  to  illustrate  this  interesting  subject.  Yon 
will  particularly  ascertain,  as  far  as  practicable,  the  number  of 
the  various  tribes  which  you  may  visit,  and  those  adjacent,  the 
extent  of  territory,  with  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  climate 
of  the  country  occupied  by  them  ;  their  mode  of  life,  cus 
toms,  laws  and  political  institutions ;  and  the  character  and 
disposition  of  their  most  influential  men.  Y''ou  will  also  report 
your  opinion  as  to  the  improvements  that  may  be  made,  and 
the  new  establishments,  to  promote  the  objects  of  the  Govern- 
ment, in  civilizing  the  Indians,  which  can  be  advantageously 
formed. 

"  The  moral  condition  of  the  Indians  will  necessarily  be 
very  dependent  on  the  character  of  the  trade  with  them,  and 
a  subject  so  important  will  of  course  claim  3-our  attention. 
Y'ou  will  report  such  facts  as  may  come  within  your  knowledge, 
as  will  go  to  show  the  state  of  the  trade  with  thcra,  and  the 
character  of  the  traders,  and  will  suggest  such  improvements  in 
tlie  present  system  of  Indian  trade  as,  in  your  opinion,  will 
render  it  better  calculated  to  secure  peace  between  them  and 
us,  and  will  contribute  more  efficiently  to  advance  their  moral 
ooudition. 


176 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


"  You  are  so  fully  apprised  of  the  views  of  the  President  in 
your  intended  visit  to  the  Indian  tribes,  that  a  further  enumera- 
tion of  the  objects  which  are  thought  interesting,  is  deemed 
unnecessary;  satisfied  as  I  am  that  your  zeal  and  intelligence 
will  permit  nothing  to  escape  your  observation,  which  mar  be 
usDful  to  be  known  to  the  Government. 

"  After  3-0U  have  collected  your  materials,  you  will  digest 
the  whole  into  one  body,  and  present  it  in  such  form,  and 
accompany  it  with  such  reflections  and  suggestions  as  you  may 
deem  necessary  to  accomplish  the  interesting  objects  which  it 
is  iuteuilod  to  promote  by  your  tour. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be 

"  Your  obedient  Servant, 

"J.  C.  CALHOUX." 

Dr.  Morse  was  now  greatly  encoura(!;ed  in  his 
enterprise  by  letters  whicli  he  received  from 
several  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  particu- 
larly Dr.  Green  and  Dr.  Lvinan,  whose  views  of 
the  general  subject  exactly  corresponded  with 
his  own.  He  had  the  pleasure  also  to  know  that 
the  Secretary  of  War  was  fully  in  sympath}'- 
with  all  bis  proposed  movements. 

In  fuHilment  of  his  Commission  from  the 
United  States  Government,  Dr.  Morse  set  out 
from  New  Haven  on  the  10th  of  May,  1820,  with 
his  3'oungest  son,  Mr.  Richard  C.  Morse,  who,  at 
my  request,  furnishes  the  following  account  of 
their  long  tour : 

"  There  was  much  in  the  incidents  of  the 
journe}',  adapted  to  recruit  my  father's  health 
and  spirits.  We  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be  on 
our  way  when  the  Middle  section  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  reaching  from  Utica  to  Montezuma, — 
ninety-six  miles,  was  just  opened  for  naviga- 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILAXTIIROPIST. 


177 


tion, — the  first  completed  portion  of  that  great 
work.  We  left  Utica  on  a  fine  morning,  22d 
of  May,  1820,  as  passengers  in  the  Canal  boat 
*  Montezuma,'  Avhich  was  gaily  dressed  with  Hags, 
and  provided  with  a  band  of  music,  and  chartered 
to  convev  tlie  Canal  Commissioners,  DeWitt  Clin- 
ton,  Stephen  A^an  Rensselaer  and  Myron  Ilolley, 
to  examine  the  Avorks  for  the  first  time  along  the 
whole  line.  Mr.  Clinton  had  just  be^'n  chosen 
Governor  of  the  State,  after  a  sharp  political 
contest,  and  his  vo^'age  was  a  triumphal  march; 
at  every  landing  he  was  received  by  his  con- 
stituents with  salvos  of  artillery  and  Congratu- 
latory Addresses.  The  rumour,  too,  of  the 
American  Geographer's  coming  had  fiown  before 
him,  and  at  more  than  one  stopping  place,  the 
Governor  was  content  to  divide  Avith  him  the 
curiosity  of  the  by-standers. 

"  Of  the  Canal  he  says  in  his  Journal : 

"  This  noblest  of  all  the  internal  improvements  in  our 
favoured  country  was  begun  4  July,  1817,  about  two  miles 
West  of  Komc.  Judge  Jonas  Piatt  has  the  honour  of  striking 
the  first  stroke  in  opening  this  canal.  Among  the  projectors, 
or  more  correctly  the  suggesters,  of.  it,  probably,  the  first  was 
Elkanah  Watson  Esq.,  who,  in  this  and  various  other  projects 
and  enterprises  for  public  improvements,  has  been  a  benefactor 
to  his  country.  Its  prominent  and  efficient  patron  is  Uis 
Excellency  Dewitt  Clinton,  to  whose  wisdom,  energy,  perse- 
verance and  commanding  influence  this  country  will,  to  the 
latest  posterity,  be  indebted  for  the  accomplishment  of  this 
splendid  and  immeasurably  useful  work." 

"  The  letter  of  introduction  which  he  bore  from 
the  Secretary  of  War  to  the  Superintendents  and 


178 


mS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHBOPIST. 


Agents  for  Indian  Affairs,  and  his  own  widely 
known  and  venerable  character,  procured  for  him 
every  attention  from  the  intelligent  gentlemen 
whom  we  met  with  on  our  way,  and  at  the  mili- 
tary posts  where  we  stopped. 

*'  From  Canandaigua  to  Mackinaw,  and  during 
our  stay  of  a  fortnight  at  the  latter  place,  we  had 
the  company  of  Dr.  William  Beaumont,  of  Platts- 
burg.  Post  Surgeon  of  the  Third  Regiment  of  the 
United  States  Armj^  a  gentleman  of  much  skill 
in  his  profession,  and  of  most  amiable  and  kind 
dispositions.  *  To  his  medical  care,*  my  father 
says,  *  I  feel  indebted,  under  Providence,  for  the 
degree  of  health  which  enabled  me  to  perform 
my  duty  to  the  Government,  probably  even  for 
mv  life.' 

"  Among  the  passengers  who  crossed  Lake  Erie 
with  us  was  Charles  Stuart  Esq.,  of  Canada,  who 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  object  of  the  mission, 
and  expressed  the  hope  that  the  British  Govern- 
ment would  co-operate  with  our  own  in  some  com- 
mon plan  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians.  Other 
intelligent  gentlemen,  British  subjects,  whom  we 
met  at  Detroit,  expressed  similar  views;  and 
these  conversations  suj^jrested  to  him  the  idea  of 
the  visit  to  Canada,  which  he  made  in  the  follow- 
ing summer,  (1821). 

*' Twelve  days  were  spent  in  Detroit,  where 
much  valuable  information  was  gathered  on  the 
topics  suggested  in  his  Commission,  and  we  waited 
for  the  return  of  the  Steamboat  Walk-in-the- Water 
from  Buffalo  to  take  us  farther  up  the  great  Lakes. 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST 


179 


The  boat  brought  Colonel  (now  General)  Wool  on 
his  way,  as  Inspector  General,  to  visit  the  North- 
ern Military  Posts.  His  route  was  identical  with 
tlie  one  prescribed  for  us,  comprising  Mackinaw, 
Green  Bay,  Chicago,  Prairie  du  Chien,  St  Peters 
on  the  Mi^sissippi,  Fort  Armstrong  and  St  Louis. 
With  the  pleasing  prospect  of  being,  during  all 
thif  long  journey,  under  his  powerful  escort,  and 
favoured  with  his  company,  we  left  Detroit  with 
him,  and  also  with  General  Macomb  and  Mr. 
Stuart,  members  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
and  other  intelligent  fellow  passengers,  and  went 
to  Mackinaw.  But  here  an  important  change 
was  made  in  his  plan,  and  the  idea  of  going 
through  the  wilderness  to  the  Mississippi  River, 
was  abandoned.  The  reason  for  this  step  he  thus 
gives  to  Mr.  Calhoun  in  a  letter : 

'Mackinaw,  22  June,  1820. — The  day  after  my  arrival  here, 
I  was  taken  (juite  ill  and  kept  my  bed  a  great  part  of  the  day. 
General  Macomb,  Col.  Wool,  and  Captain  Pierce,  and  the 
Physician  of  the  Post,  held  an  informal  consultation  on  my  case 
without  my  knowledge,  and  Col.  Wool  was  deputed  to  inform 
me  that  it  was  their  unanimous  opinion  that  1  must  not  think 
of  going  farther;  that  the  remaining  part  of  our  journey,  by  far 
the  most  difficult  to  perform,  should  I  attempt  it,  would  immi- 
nently hazard  my  life ;  that  I  could  not  endure  the  exposures 
and  fatigues  inseparable  from  the  wilderness,  in  which  I  must 
travel  nearly  three  thousand  miles  before  reaching  again  the 
settled  parts  of  our  country.  When  Col.  Wool  first  mentioned 
these  things  and  the  unanimity  of  opinion  expressed  by  the 
gentlemen,  my  mind  reluctated  at  the  thought  of  relinquishing 
so  large  a  part  of  my  route.  But  the  reasons  afterwards 
stated  by  them  and  my  own  reflections,  and  the  view  of  my  fields 
of  labour,  which  opened  here  and  at  Green  Bay  and  other 
places  to  the  South,  haye  satbfied  me  that,  aside  from  my  fee- 


180 


niS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHBOPIST. 


ble  health,  which  of  itself  would  have  been  sufficient,  other 
weighty  considerations  make  it  my  duty  to  yield  to  their  deci- 
sion as  wise.' 

"  So  only  the  hardy  soldier  could  penetrate 
the  wilderness — the  puny  citizen  must  be  con- 
tent to  peep  into  its  borders. 

'  But  he  found  enough  to  do.  For  Mackinaw  was  the  resort 
in  the  summer  season  of  Indian  traders  throughout  the  w^ole 
Northwestern  section  of  our  country,  North  of  latitude  40**, 
quite  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Here  also  five  or  six  thousand 
Indians  assembled  every  year,  some  of  them  living  five  hundred 
miles  Westward,  with  whom  he  could  communicate  through  the 
Government's  Interpreters.  Thus  the  Indians  were  brought 
to  him,  and  he  could  confer  with  them  better  even  than  in  their 
homes.' 

**  We  had  arrived  in  the  harbour  of  Mackinaw 
in  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  June,  and  the  next 
morning,  from  the  deck  of  the  steamboat  we 
looked  upon  the  town,  the  forts  towering  at  a 
gidd}"  height  above  it,  a  swarm  of  Indian  canoes 
drawn  up  on  the  beach,  along  which  were  pitched 
fifty  or  a  hundred  lodges, — cone-shaped  bark 
tents, — filled  with  three  or  four  hundred  Indians, 
men,  women  and  children,  come  to  receive  their 
annuities  from  the  United  States  Government, 
and  to  trade.  The  sight  of  these  degraded  be- 
ings moved  his  heart ;  and  so  did  the  condition 
of  the  white  population  destitute  of  religious 
instruction.  There  had  not  been,  he  writes  in 
his  journal,  a  Protestant  sermon  preached  in  the 
place  for  ten  3'ears  or  more.  During  our  fort- 
night's i-tay,  the  Gospel  was  preached  by  us  in 
the  Court  House  to  full  and  attentive  audiences. 


1II8  LABOURS  AS  A  PlIILANTIIKOriST. 


181 


At  his  suggestion  and  by  his  personal  aid,  a  Sab- 
bath School  and  a  day  School  were  formed  for 
the  children;  a  Bible  Society,  auxiliary  to  the 
American  Society,  and  a  Tract  Society,  auxili- 
ary to  the  New  England  (now  American)  Tract 
Society. 

"  We  left  Mackinaw  the  3d  of  July,  to  attend 
by  appointment  a  Council  of  the  Ottawa  Indians 
held  at  their  lodges,  thirty-six  miles  from  Macki- 
naw on  the  Nortliwest  point  of  the  Michigan 
Peninsula.  To  this  spot  we  were  conveyed  in 
two  canoes,  each  paddled  by  eight  Indians.  On 
this  occasion  an  incident  occurred  which  illus- 
trates the  sagacity  of  the  Indians  in  penetrating 
the  artifices  of  those  with  whom  they  deal.  Col. 
Boyd,  the  United  States  Agent  at  Mackinaw,  had 
accompanied  us  for  the  purpose  of  purcliasing  of 
these  Indians  the  Martin  Islands, — two  small 
islands  lying  four  miles  East  of  Mackinaw,  desira- 
ble for  the  use  of  the  Government,  abounding 
with  gypsum,  and  also  being  well-wooded  and 
possessing  a  good  soil.  *  These  Islands,'  said  he 
to  the  Indians,  *are  already  virtually  sold  by 
you.  I  have  named  the  price,  your  Chiefs  have 
assented  to  it,  the  money  is  ready  to  be  paid, 
and  now  I  bring  the  Treaty  drawn  up  for  us 
mutually  to  sign,  that  so  the  United  States  may 
own  the  Islands  in  fee.'  Thinking  they  might 
scruple  to  part  with  them,  he  added, — *  Under- 
stand, it  is  not  for  the  soil  nor  for  the  timber 
that  your  Father  buys  the  land,  but  for  the 
gypsum  which  he  will  give  to  his  red  children 
16 


182  niS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILAXTnUOPIST. 


to  enrich  their  grounds.*  He  had  overshot  his 
mark.  The  Indians  retired  as  usual  for  consulta- 
tion, and  returned  with  this  answer, — that  *  since 
their  Father  did  not  want  the  soil  nor  the  tim- 
ber, they  would  keep  tliese  and  make  him  wel- 
come to  the  gypsum.*  The  Agent  had  now  to 
change  his  tactics,  and  witness  the  chuckling  of 
the  Indians  among  themselves,  as  slowly,  and 
with  affected  reluctance,  one  by  one,  they  put 
down  their  names  to  the  treaty,  enjoying  all  the 
while  his  embarrassment  at  their  detection  of 
his  petty  manoeuvre. 

"  Ilere  we  embarked  on  the  Revenue  Cutter  Dal- 
las, Capt.  Kapp,  designated  to  convey  us  to  Green 
Bav,  where  we  arrived  the  9tli  of  Julv  and 
remained  a  fortnight  in  the  hospitable  fimily 
of  the  Commander  of  the  Military  Post, — Col. 
J.  Smith.  My  father  found  a  most  eligible 
place  for  the  establishment  of  a  Mission  Family, 
and  wrote,  according!}',  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
urging  the  co-operation  of  the  United  States 
Government  in  aid  of  the  object,  and  promising 
to  propose  to  the  Northern  Missionary  Society 
of  New  York  to  occupy  the  field.  Accordingly-^, 
on  his  way  home,  in  August,  he  met  the  Direct- 
ors of  this  Society  in  Albany,  and  the  result  of 
his  ajjplication  was  communicated  to  him  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Chester,  in  a  letter,  as  follows: 

*  7  September.  By  order  of  the  Northern  Missionary  Society 
as  well  as  from  the  dictates  of  my  own  feelings,  I  inform  yoi 
that,  after  a  most  animated  discussion,  it  was  unanimousl; 
resolved,  in  full  meeting,  to  commence  the  establishment  of 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  nilLAXTIIROnST. 


183 


Mission  Family  at  Mackinaw  and  Green  Bay  immediately. 
The  Board  passed  a  high  compliment  on  yourself.  I  will  for- 
ward you  the  Report  as  soon  as  it  is  out  of  the  press.' 

*'Tre  found  the  Menominees  of  Green  Bay 
distressed  by  an  attempt  of  wicked  speculators 
to  defraud  them  of  valuable  lands.  The  Indian 
Agent,  acting  professedly  in  behalf  of  the  United 
States  Government,  had  drawn  up  a  Treaty,  con- 
veying away  a  Tract  of  their  land,  on  both  sides 
of  Fox  River,  extending  from  the  mouth  of  that 
stream  upwards,  and  comprising  forty  miles 
square,  for  an  annuity  of  eight  hundred  dollars ! 
The  real  Chiefs,  having  the  blood  of  former  Chiefs 
running  in  their  veins,  were  opposed  to  the 
sale,  and  refused  to  meet  in  Council  at  the 
Agent's  request,  who  thereupon  assumed  in  his 
own  name  to  create  other  Chiefs,  and  forwarded 
the  Treaty,  signed  by  them,  to  Washington. 
One  of  the  signers  of  the  spurious  Treaty  had 
been  killed  in  the  quarrel  between  the  contend- 
ing parties.  My  father,  on  learning  these  facts 
on  the  spot,  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  War : 

'  14th  July.  I  have  seen  a  copy  of  Col.  Beyer's  Treaty, 
by  which  the  United  States  obtain  a  very  valuable  tract  of 
land  on  Fox  River.  I  wish  the  President  and  Senate  to  be 
in  possession  of  all  the  information  necessary  to  enable  them  to 
act  wisely  in  the  case.  Before  the  Treaty  is  submitted  to  the 
Senate,  I  shall  probably  be  in  Washington,  and  will  defer  till 
then  what  I  have  to  communicate  on  the  subject.' 

"  The  mischief  of  this  wicked  Treaty  began  at 
once  to  appear.  For  we  had  hardly  left  that 
region  on  our  return  home  when  we  learned  that 


184 


ms  LABOURS  AS  A  rmLAXTUROPIST. 


a  delegation  of  the  Stockbridge  Indians,  consist- 
ing of  the  Rev.  Eleazar  Williams  and  others, 
furnished  with  letters  from  the  United  States 
Government,  were  on  their  way  to  Green  Bay  to 
purchase  lands  of  the  Menominees,  but,  meeting 
friends  who  told  them  what  had  taken  place, 
they  gave  up  their  purpose  of  emigrating  and 
went  back  to  their  homes.  The  sequel  will  show 
that  his  intervention  was  not  too  late.  Rev. 
Mr.  Sergeant  wrote  to  him  on  the  22d  of  October : 

'  The  Menominees  told  the  Delegates  that  there  was  no 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  their  settlement  among  them  but  this 
hateful  Treaty ;  for  they  would  much  rather  their  kindred 
should  occupy  their  l.iuds  than  the  whites.'  He  adds  :  '  If, 
Sir,  through  your  influence  with  the  President  and  the  Senate, 
this  treaty  should  be  set  aside,  and  the  lands  retained  by  the 
rightful  owners,  you  will  do  more  to  establish  the  honour  and 
respectability  of  the  Government,  and  the  cause  of  civilization 
and  religion,  than  ten  missionaries  could  do  in  a  life-time.' 

"  The  Stockbridge  Indians  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  President,  dated  Gth  of  November,  express- 
ing their  disappointment  and  asking  redress. 
Their  request  did  not  pass  unheeded,  ^ly  father 
wrote  to  Dr.  Chester,  of  Albany',  from  Washing- 
ton, on  the  15th  of  December, — *!  have  happily 
succeeded  with  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of 
War  in  preventing  the  ratification  of  Col.  Boyer's 
Treaty.  The  Government,  from  what  I  stated 
to  them,  were  satisfied  that  it  was  an  iniquitous 
transaction.* 

"  Mr.  Calhoun  replied  to  the  Stockbridge 
Indians  as  follows : 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  rniLANTimOPIST. 


185 


•Department  of  War,  14  April,  1821. 
'Brothers:  Your  communication  of  the  Cth  of  November 
last  was  (luiy  received.  I  regret  extremely  that  you  have 
returned  without  accomplishing  the  object  of  your  visit  to  the 
Michigan  Territory.  The  Treaty  which  has  been  the  cause  of 
your  disappointment  was  made  by  the  U.  S.  Agent  at  Green 
Bay  without  proper  authority,  and  it  affords  me  satisfaction  to 
inform  you  that  the  President,  after  delaying  to  submit  it  to 
the  Senate  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  all  the  information  con- 
cerning it,  Bnally  concluded,  under  all  the  circumstances,  to 
withhold  it  altogether.  The  Treaty,  therefore,  was  not  ratified, 
and  the  territory  ceded  by  it  is  consequently  in  the  same 
situation  as  previously.  I  am  pleased  to  find  that  it  is  your 
intention  to  visit  the  country  this  summer  with  the  same  views, 
in  which  I  hope  you  will  be  entirely  successful.' 

"  Thus,  by  my  father'.*?  representations,  the 
Indian  Agent  was  defeated  in  his  attempt  to 
cheat  the  Menominees ;  though  eventually  the 
United  States  Government  purchased  the  lands, 
and  the  Indians  were  removed  beyond  the 
Mississippi." 

The  Southern  tour,  which  it  was  proposed  in 
his  Commission  that  Dr.  Morse  should  take  dur- 
ing the  fall  and  w^inter,  Avas  given  up,  because 
the  Missionaries  of  the  American  Board  among 
tlie  Cherokees  and  Choctaws  could  furnish  the 
United  States  Government  with  all  necessary 
information.  He  now  occupied  himself  at  home 
and  at  Washington  with  gathering  further  ma- 
terials, for  which  the  War  Department  furnished 
him  with  every  facility,  and  compiling  his 
Report.  On  the  14th  of  February,  1821,  he  sent 
to  Mr.  Calhoun  the  first  part  of  this  important 
document,  including  the  Table  of  the  Indians  of 


186 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  PHILANTUBOPIST 


the  United  States;  names  of  Tribes,  number 
of  souls,  and  place  of  residence  of  each  tribe. 

Not  only  was  it  too  late  to  present  it  to  Con- 
gress, but  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War 
were  so  burdened  with  pressing  engagements 
that  they  found  it  impossible  to  read  it  before 
the  close  of  the  session.  After  they  had  read  it, 
the  manuscript  was  returned  to  him,  agreeably 
to  his  request,  by  Mr.  Calhoun,  accompanied  by 
a  communication  of  which  the  following  is  an 
extract : 

"War  Department,  2J  of  April,  1821.  The  President  has 
perused  with  care  the  portions  of  your  Report,  contained  in 
your  two  last  favours,  and  I  have  directions,  in  returning  them 
to  you,  to  express  his  wish  that  you  should  draw  up  your  Report 
on  all  points  as  full  as  you  may  judge  advisable,  and  according 
to  your  views  of  the  policy  which  ought  to  be  adopted  in  our 
relations  with  the  Indians.  3Iuch  of  the  value  of  the  Report 
will  depend  on  its  presenting  the  entire  and  iudicidual  views 
of  one  who  has  reflected  so  much  on  the  subject  of  which  it 
treats,  and  has  taken  so  much  pains  to  be  correctl}'  informed. 

.  .  The  proper  course  at  present  would  seem  to  be  to  ob- 
tain all  the  light  which  may  be  practicable  in  relation  to  the 
Indians,  and  the  existing  intercourse  with  them ;  to  digest  the 
whole  with  care,  and  be  prepared  to  present  to  Congress  a  well 
digested  body  of  facts,  and  a  system  which  would  be  fully  sus- 
tained by  such  facts.  It  was  with  a  view  to  this  in  part  that 
you  were  originalU'  employed  by  the  President,  and  he  doubts 
not  that  the  fruits  of  your  research  and  representations  will 
constitute  materially  a  correct  decision." 

Agreeably  to  a  purpose  which  he  had  formed 
while  on  his  journey  to  the  West,  the  preceding 
year,  he  visited  Canada  in  the  summer  of  1821 
and  spent  several  weeks  in  the  prosecution  o 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  nilLANTnROriST.  187 


wh.at  had  now  become  his  favourite  object.  This 
visit  resulted  in  his  acquiring  much  vahiable  in- 
formation concerning  the  Indians  of  that  country, 
and  enlisting  the  sympathy  and  promise  of  co- 
operation of  the  officers  of  the  Government  and 
other  influential  men  of  the  Province  in  efforts 
to  promote  their  welfare. 

About  the  close  of  the  year  he  visited  Wash- 
ington again,  and  remained  there  during  the 
winter  to  finish  his  Report.  In  due  time  he  de- 
livered it  to  the  President,  who  sent  it,  on  the 
2Tth  of  January,  with  a  Message,  to  the  House  of 
Representatives.  Here  it  remained  with  the 
Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  till  the  close  of  the 
Session,  the  4th  of  Marcli,  when  it  was  given 
back  to  its  author,  by  his  request,  and  the  next 
summer  was  published  by  him,  in  New  Haven, 
at  his  own  expense. 

Among  the  commendatory  notices  which  it 
received  from  various  quarters  was  an  article  in 
the  North  American  Review,  from  which  the 
following  is  an  extract: 

We  have  read  this  volume  with  great  interest,  which  is 
perhaps  the  highest  compliment  in  our  power  to  pay  to  a  closely 
printed  book  of  five  hundred  pages." 

Among  others  to  whom  a  copy  of  the  Report 
was  sent  was  the  eminent  Prussian,  William  Von 
Humboldt,  from  whom  the  following  compli- 
mentary notice  was  received,  communicated  to 
the  author  by  the  late  John  Pickering,  LL.  D. ; 


188  HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIST. 


"  Salem,  13  June,  1823. 

"  I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  William  Von  Humboldt, 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  a  copy  of  your  Report  on  Indian 
Affairs,  from  which  I  have  the  pleasure  to  send  you  the  follow- 
ing extract,  translated  from  the  original : 

'  The  work  of  Dr.  Morse  has  interested  me  greatly.  I  first 
read  it  through  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  now  continually 
refer  to  it  from  time  to  time.  It  does  not,  as  you  remark,  con- 
tain many  data  in  respect  to  the  languages  of  the  Indians. 
But  in  an  indirect  way  I  have  found  it  extremely  interesting, 
in  a  double  point  of  view,  and  indeed  essential  in  the  studies  to 
which  I  have  devoted  myself.  On  the  pne  hand  it  gives  valua- 
ble details  respecting  the  numbers,  names  and  strength  of  the 
various  tribes  throughout  a  great  part  of  North  America,  and 
designates  with  much  greater  accuracy  and  authenticit}'  the 
different  districts  they  occupy  than  is  to  be  found  in  any  other 
work.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  only  in  this  book  can  foreigners 
find  exact  and  just  notions  of  the  relations  existing  between  the 
Indians  and  the  United  States  Government,  of  the  degree  of 
civilization  to  which  the  former  have  arrived,  and  that  which 
your  Government,  alike  wise  and  humane,  wishes  them  to  at- 
tain to. 

"  The  geographical  details  are  absolutely  indispensable,  if 
one  wishes  to  form  a  clear  idea  of  the  distribution  of  the  dif- 
ferent idioms  Over  such  a  vast  territory ;  and  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  note  the  emigrations,  affinities  and  ramifications  of 
these  different  tribes,  without  this  essential  aid. 

"  As  to  their  moral  and  intellectual  state,  it  is  very  curious  to 
distinguish  what  these  savages  owe  (if  we  may  so  speak)  to 
nature,  and  which  consequently  they  possessed,  perhaps  too  in 
a  superior  degree,  before  they  knew  the  Europeans,  from  what 
they  have  since  acquired.  I  have  been  surprised  to  see  by 
their  speeches,  their  replies,  and  their  slight  sketches  of  poetry, 
with  what  talents  nature  has  endowed  them.  It  would  be  in- 
teresting for  Mr.  Morse  to  communicate  some  of  these  speeches 
(which  he  gives  us)  in  the  original  language.  Some  originals 
already  are  preserved  in  other  works,  but  it  would  be  very 
useful  to  add  to  the  number. 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  rHILANTIIROPIST.  189 


"I  beg  you.  Sir,  to  thank  Mr.  Morse  warmly  for  the  plea- 
sure he  has  afforded  me  by  the  preocnt  of  his  work;  and  to 
request  him  urgently  also,  in  my  name,  to  publish  soon  tho 
materials  which  he  sa^'s  he  possesses,  respecting  the  idioms  of 
those  Indian  nations,  which  were  the  subjects  of  his  inquiries." 

With  the  publication  of  his  Report  the  labours 
of  his  Indian  Agency  terminated.  That  Agency 
liad  kept  him  constantly  occupied  for  tliree  years. 
Yet  the  pecuniary  appropriations  to  the  object 
by  the  United  States  Government,  and  the  two 
Societies  under  whose  auspices  he  had  engaged 
in  the  work,  were  so  scanty  that  they  did  not 
cover  his  travelling  expenses,  and  his  whole  time 
and  services  were  given  gratuitously.  He,  how- 
ever, found  an  ample  recompense  in  the  belief 
that,  sooner  or  later,  his  mission  would  prove 
fruitful  in  blessings  to  the  poor  ludi.ms. 

In  his  Report  he  had  suggested  the  idea  of 
forming  a  Society  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian 
Tribes  within  the  United  States;  and  chiefly 
through  his  instrumentality,  such  a  Society  was 
actually  foruied  while  he  was  in  Washingtou,  (7 
February,  1822,)  the  officers  choseu,  and  the 
annual  meeting  appointed  to  be  held  in  Decem- 
ber, at  the  opening  of  Congress,  in  1823.  The 
distance  from  his  home  and  his  feeble  health 
prevented  his  personal  attendance. 

James  Madison  writes  to  him,  under  date  of 
February  26,  1822,  as  follows: 

"  Esteeming,  aa  I  do,  the  objects  of  the  institution,  1  cannot 
decline  the  honorary  relation  to  it  which  has  been  conferred  on 
me;  though  good  wishes  be  the  only  returns  I  shall  be  able  to 
make. 


190 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  PHILANTIIKOPIST. 


"  Beside  the  general  motive  of  benevolence,  the  remnants  of 
the  tribes  within  our  limits  have  special  claims  on  our  endea- 
vours to  save  them  from  the  extinction  to  which  they  are 
hastening,  and  from  the  vices  which  have  been  doubled  by  our 
intercourse  with  them.  This  cannot  be  done  without  substi- 
tuting for  the  torpid  indolence  of  the  wigwam,  and  the  precarious 
supplies  of  the  chase,  the  comforts  and  habits  of  civilized  life. 
With  the  progress  of  these  may  be  sown  those  elements  of 
moral  and  intellectual  improvement,  which  will  either  not  be 
received  into  the  savage  mind,  or  be  soon  stifled  by  savage 
manners. 

"  The  Constitution  of  the  Society  very  properly  embraces 
the  object  of  gathering  whatever  information  may  relate  to 
the  opinions,  the  government,  the  social  condition,  &c.,  of 
this  untutored  race.  Materials  may  thus  be  obtained  for  a 
just  picture  of  the  human  character  as  fashioned  by  circum- 
stances which  are  yielding  to  others  which  must  efface  all  the 
peculiarities  of  the  original.' 

Mr.  Calhoun  writes  to  him  thus  on  the  16th 
of  December : 

"  I  partake  with  you  in  your  deep  solicitude  in  relation  to 
the  Indians  within  our  limits.  AVe  owe  them  all  the  aid  which 
we  can  bestow,  to  raise  them  from  their  present  depressed  con- 
dition to  that  of  civilization  and  happiness.  And  if  we  permit 
the  present  opportunity  to  pass  without  suitable  efforts  for  that 
purpose,  it  is  to  be  feared  that,  in  a  few  years,  it  will  be  too 
late  to  do  any  thing. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  a  Society  duly  organized  would  do 
much,  if  it  could  be  brought  into  activity ;  but  it  seems  to  me 
that  that  activity  can  only  be  given,  in  the  first  place,  by  the 
religious  and  benevolent.  If  persons,  occupying  high  public 
offices,  were  to  move  first,  it  would  be  attributed  to  political 
motives,  and  would  tend  to  repress  rather  than  advance  the 
object.  If  you  could  give  the  impulse  from  Religious  Societies, 
much  might  be  done.  But  till  then  I  fear  the  Society  will 
languish." 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  riULANTHROFIST. 


191 


The  event  fully  justified  Mr.  Calhoun's  appre- 
nensions;  for  the  Society,  from  its  birth,  showed 
signs  of  decay,  and,  after  two  or  three  years  of 
doubtful  existence,  expired. 


IV 


His  Laboubs  as  a  Geografheb. 

Dr.  Morse's  career  as  a  Geographer  commenced 
as  early  as  the  winter  of  1783—84,  while  he  was 
teaching  a  school  in  New  Haven,  and  pursuing 
at  the  same  time  the  study  of  Theology.  The 
English  Geography  by  Guthrie  was  the  only 
Compeud  then  in  use  in  any  of  our  schools;  and 
that  was  lamentably  deficient  in  what  related  to 
our  OAvn  country.  To  supply  this  deficiency  he 
gathered  information  from  all  the  sources  within 
his  reach,  and  imparted  it  in  lectures  to  his  pupils. 
Aware  that  the  same  need  was  felt  in  other 
schools,  he  was  led  to  frame  the  substance  of  his 
lectures  into  a  book ;  and  this  was  published  in 
1784, — the  first  Geograpliy  of  any  kind  ever  pub- 
lished in  America.  It  was  a  duodecimo  of  two 
hundred  and  fourteen  pages,  entitled  "  Geography 
made  easy/*  This,  taken  in  connection  with  his 
subsequent  efforts  in  the  same  direction,  fairly 
entitles  him  to  the  distinction  of  being  the  Father 
of  American  Geography. 

In  consequence  of  the  very  rapid  sale  of  this 
edition,  indicatiug  clearly  that  the  work  had  met 
an  important  demand  of  the  times,  he  formed 
the  purpose  of  publishing  an  enlarged  and  im- 
proved edition ;  and,  with  a  view  to  this  he 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


193 


framed  a  series  of  comprehensive  geographicfil 
questions,  which  Avcre  circulated  widely,  through 
the  newspapers,  and  hy  means  of  his  correspond- 
ence with  intelligent  gentlemen  in  the  difter- 
ent  States ;  and  his  success  seems  to  have  fully 
equalled  his  expectations;  though,  owing  to  cer- 
tain circumstances,  the  next  edition  of  the  work 
was  not  puhlished  until  several  years  afterwards. 

One  important  end  that  he  had  in  view  in  going 
to  Georgia,  was  to  collect  information  in  aid  of  his 
geographical  enterprise ;  for  he  had  become  con- 
vinced that,  to  succeed  in  this,  it  was  absolutely 
essential  that  he  should  personally  explore,  at 
least  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  regions  whicli 
he  described.  The  same  idea  had  been  susTj^ested 
to  him  by  several  gentlemen  of  liigh  standing, 
among  whom  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Belknap,  who 
thus  writes  to  him  in  a  letter  of  the  28th  of  July, 
1784: 

"  To  be  a  true  Geographer  it  is  necessary  to  be  a  Traveller. 
To  depend  on  distant  and  incidental  information  is  not  safe ; 
and  there  is  a  material  difference  between  describing  a  place 
that  we  have  seen  and  one  that  we  have  not  seen.  I  would 
advise  you  to  collect  as  little  as  possible  from  second-hand 
authors.  The  best  descriptions  are  given  by  eye-witnesses, 
provided  they  are  honest.  As  water  passing  through  various 
strata  of  earth  acquires  different  tinctures,  so  a  story,  told  by  a 
succession  of  writers,  partakes  of  the  humours,  inattention  and 
preju  lices  of  them  all." 

Abdut  lialf  the  time,  during  his  absence  from 
New  Haven,  he  devoted  to  collecting  material 
ior  his  Geography ;  and,  besides  this,  he  secured 
the  vigorous  co-operation  of  many  highly  intel- 
17 


194 


mS  LABOURS  A8  A  OEOGRAPIIEB. 


ligent  men,  among  whom  was  Dr.  Ramsay,  of 
Charleston,  the  celebrated  Historian.  It  was  at 
this  time  also  that  he  first  conceived  the  idea  of 
•i  Gazetteer  of  the  United  States, — a  work  to 
which,  in  due  time,  his  skill  and  industry  proved 
abundantly  adequate. 

On  his  return  from  Georgia,  Mr.  Morse  had 
become  so  deeply  interested  in  his  geographical 
pursuits,  that  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  suspend, 
for  a  short  time,  the  active  exercise  of  the  min- 
istry, for  the  sake  of  devoting  himself  exclusively 
to  them.  His  correspondence  with  reference  to 
the  work  he  had  in  hand  had  now  become  very 
extensive ;  and,  as  his  materials  were  constantly 
accumulating,  the  prospect  of  publication  seemed 
to  become  more  and  more  distant,  while  his  en- 
ergies and  industry  were  proportionally  taxed. 
There  was  much  in  the  then  existing  state  of  the 
country  to  call  for  just  such  a  work  as  he  con- 
templated. The  United  States  were  now  first 
assuming  a  fixed  national  character  in  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Constitution ;  and  it  seemed  especially 
desirable  that  some  authentic  and  correct  account 
of  the  country,  including  its  territorial  extent, 
its  natural  resources,  its  governmental  institu- 
tions, its  systems  of  education  and  religion,  should 
be  given  to  the  world.  To  an  object  of  so  much 
importance  as  this,  Mr.  Morse  felt  at  libertj'^  to 
devote  himself  for  a  time,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  public  engagements. 

Not  long  after  his  return  from  the  South,  he 
learned  that  Captain  Thomas  Hutchins,  Geogra- 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


195 


pher  General  of  the  United  States,  had  projected 
the  plan  of  an  American  Gazetteer, — just  the 
work  which  he  had  himself  determined  to  un- 
dertake. Regarding  Ilutchins  as  more  competent 
than  himself  to  perform  such  a  service,  he  at 
once  relinquished  the  idea  of  attempting  it,  and 
oftered  him  the  material  he  had  collected.  In- 
stead, however,  of  accepting  the  offer,  the  Geo- 
grapher General  relinquished  his  own  design,  in 
favour  of  Mr.  Morse,  committing  to  him  all  the 
collections  he  had  made,  together  with  his  maps 
and  explanatory  pamphlets.  Dr.  Belknap  also 
had  formed  a  similar  purpose, — that  of  producing 
a  Universal  Gazetteer ;  but,  on  being  informed,  by 
Mr.  Ebenezer  Hazard,  that  Mr.  Morse  had  antici- 
pated him  in  the  idea,  he,  too,  abandoned  the 
purpose,  not  doubting  that  the  enterprise  had 
fallen  into  hands  every  way  competent  to  ita 
execution. 

The  following  letter  addressed  by  Mr.  Morse 
to  Dr.  Belknap,  18  January,  1788,  forms  a  good 
illustration  of  the  spirit  with  which  he  was  pur- 
suing his  geographical  inquiries : 

"  Dear  Sir :  Though  I  have  not  the  honour  of  a  personal 
acquaintance,  yet  your  writings  and  reputation  are  such  that 
I  presume  upon  your  indulgence,  while  I  send  you  the  enclosed 
manuscript  Geography  of  New  Hampshire."  After  referring 
to  a  letter  which  Dr.  Belknap  had  addressed  to  him,  some 
eighteen  months  before,  relative .  to  the  first  edition  of  his 
Geography,  he  goes  on  to  say, — *'  Since  that  time  I  have 
travelled  through  all  the  States,  with  a  particular  view  of  col- 
lecting the  necessary  information  for  a  second  publication  on 
the  same  sabject.    I  have  been,  in  some  good  degree,  successful. 


196 


HIS  UUJOUBS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHEB. 


The  work,  which  will  be  enlarged  to  an  octavo  Tolnme,  of  at 
least  four  hundred  pages,  is  preparing  for  the  press  with  all 
suitable  expedition. 

"  That  the  book  may  be  as  complete  and  accurate  as  possible, 
I  propose,  when  I  shall  have  written  my  account  of  each  State, 
from  the  best  materials  I  have  collected,  to  send  it  to  some 
gentlemen,  who  will  be  capable  of  correcting  the  errors  of  the 
description,  and  of  supplying  deficiencies.  With  this  view  I 
have  taken  the  lihorty,  Sir,  to  enclose  you  the  account  of  New 
Hampshire.  T  have  left  blank  leaves  for  j'our  corrections  and 
adtlitions.  Do  not  spare  me  in  the  former,  nor  deny  me  the 
latter.  I  know  of  no  one  more  capable  of  assisting  me  in 
botli  than  yourself. 

"  The  nature  of  the  work  docs  not  admit  of  much  originality. 
The  book  must  derive  its  merit — if  it  have  any — from  the 
accurMcy  ami  <.'ood  jud^ruiont  with  which  it  is  compilfd,  rather 
than  the  genius  with  which  it  is  ronijiusrd.  To  save  me  from 
the  odious  character  of  a  Plagiarist,  general  credit  will  be  given 
in  the  preface  for  all  selections  inserted  in  the  work.  To  par- 
ticularize such  would  be  needless  and  endless.  This  is  my 
apology  for  having  made  so  much  use  of  3'our  publications  in 
the  enclosed  account  of  New  Hampshire. 

"  I  shall  wish  also  to  submit  my  account  of  Massachusetts, 
when  written,  to  your  inspection,  (if  I  do  not  trouble  you  too 
much,)  to  be  shown  by  you  to  such  of  your  literary  friends  as 
you  may  think  proper. 

"  I  have  been,  for  some  time,  making  Collections  for  a 
Gazetteer  of  the  United  States." 

Dr.  Belknap,  in  reply  to  this  letter,  gave  him 
a  list  of  authors,  which  he  might  advantageously 
consult  for  desired  information,  at  the  same  time 
assuring  him  that  he  might  freely  command  his 
services,  whenever  they  were,  in  any  way,  use- 
ful to  him. 

The  following  letter,  bearing  upon  the  same 
subject,  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Morse,  a  few  weeks 


niS  K.VBOUi:S  as  a  GEOCRArilEU. 


107 


before  the  date  of  the  preceding,  by  the  Hon. 
William  Livingston,  Governor  of  New  Jersey, 
who  was  a  fine  classical  scholar,  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian, and  one  of  the  most  illustrious  patriots  of 
the  Revolution.  It  was  in  reply  to  a  letter  which 
Mr.  Morse  had  written,  proposing  to  dedicate  the 
contemplated  work  to  the  Governor : 

"  Trextox,  1  November,  1787. 

"  Rev.  Sir :  I  received  your  letter  of  the  2(]th  of  October 
yesterda}'.  Since  I  sent  a  description  of  three  of  our  Counties 
to  Mr.  Whittlesey,  (whose  death  I  sincerely  dei>lore,)  I  have 
received  that  of  one  or  two  others,  which  shall  be  at  your 
service,  when  you  do  me  the  pleasure  of  what  you  have  given 
me  the  agreeable  expectation, — I  mean  a  personal  visit  at  my 
Hennitago,  fl/f(T.v  Libert}'  Hall,  in  the  vicinity  of  Elizabcthtown. 

"That  I  have  received  the  descriptions  of  so  few  of  out 
Counties  as  you  mention,  I  now  find,  or  at  least  am  told,  is  my 
own  fault.  Although  I  had  a  number  of  copies  made  of  youi 
queries,  immediately  after  you  delivered  them  to  mc  last  fall 
and,  as  I  thought  a  sufficient  number  to  give  one  to  each  of  oui 
Council,  yet  some  members  of  that  Body  tell  me  they  went 
home  without  one,  and  that  I  promised  to  send  them  after  the 
rising  of  the  Legislature  ;  but  that  they  never  received  them. 
If  the  case  be  really  so,  (of  which,  however,  I  have  not  the  least 
recollection,  nor  greater  faith  than  I  have  in  St.  Athanasius  I) 
I  can  atone  for  my  neglect  only  by  delivering  them  at  our 
present  sitting,  and  pressing  those  members  to  transmit  to  me 
their  answers  as  speedily  as  possible.  The  Legislature  expect- 
ing to  adjourn  next  week,  it  is  probable  that  I  may  receive 
them  seasonably  enough  before  your  intended  public.ition.  If 
I  do,  I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  forward  them  to  you  with- 
out loss  of  time, — with  this  condition,  (which  I  wish  to  have 
annexed  to  those  already  sent,)  that  you  either  return  them  to 
me,  after  you  have  extracted  from  them  what  you  may  think 
proper  to  insert  in  the  book,  or  copies  of  them.  My  reason  is 
that  those  already  sent,  and  I  hope  the  same  of  those  to  come, 


198 


raS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGIl-\PnER. 


contain  a  more  parlicalar  description  of  this  State  than  I 
imagine  I  shall  ever  obtain  in  any  other  way ;  and  the  poor 
Governor  of  New  Jersey  has  not  at  present  a  creature  in  his 
bouse  that  can  copy  them  except  himself,  and  to  make  such 
copies  himself,  he  verily  hath  uot  sufficient  leisure. 

"  As  to  your  kind  and  polite  offer,  Sir,  to  dedicate  the  work 
to  me,  with  my  permission,  I  confess  myself  under  great  obliga- 
tions for  your  intention.  I  have  no  other  objections  against  it 
than  these  two,  (the  last  of  which  it  is,  however,  in  your  power 
to  obviate).  In  the  first  place,  I  do  uot  know  what  umbrage 
such  a  choice  of  ^our  patron  might  not  give  to  the  Governor 
(Jonathan  Trumbull)  "  of  your  own  State,  who,  I  am  per- 
suaded, has  been  very  prompt  to  promote  your  undertaking, 
and  is,  by  all  accounts,  a  gentleman  of  a  very  amiable  charac- 
ter. Secondly,  next  to  my  dislike  of  being  slandered,  I 
hate  to  receive  any  praise  that  I  do  not  deserve  ;  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  usual  run  of  Dedications,  incense  is  offered  to  those 
who  are  no  Deities. 

"  Relative  to  the  map,  I  doubt.  Sir,  whether  I  have  sufficient 
skill  to  comply  with  your  request ;  but,  if  I  can,  I  will  procure 
a  person  to  do  it,  that  has. 

"  As  to  news  from  this  point  of  the  '  terraqueous  globe,'  I 
can  inform  you  of  one  fact  that  gives  me  great  pleasure.  It  is 
that  both  branches  of  our  Legislature  are  unanimous  in  laying 
before  the  people  the  Constitution  planned  b}'  the  late  Conven- 
tion ;  and  I  hope,  and  doubt  not,  that  the  citizens  of  Connecti- 
cut will  be  as  ready  to  adopt  it  as  I  have  reason  to  think  we 
shall ;  and  then  I  think  we  shall  even  make  my  native  country. 
New  York,  a  little  sickish  of  her  opposition  to  it. 
"  I  am.  Rev.  Sir, 

"  Your  most  humble  servant, 

"  AVILLIAM  LIVINGSTON." 

The  following  letter  from  the  French  Consul 
in  New  York,  dated  28  February,  1788,  shows 
the  deep  interest  which  he  took  in  the  enterprise : 

"  Sir :  I  have  perused  with  infinite  pleasure  your  proposals 
for  publbhing  an  American  Geography.    This  country,  now  be- 


HIS  LABOUES  AS  A  GEOGRArilER. 


199 


come  independent,  is  so  populous  and  interesting  as  to  deserve 
being  better  known.  I  beg  you  to  put  my  name  on  your  list 
of  subscribers ;  and  I  know  a  gentleman  in  Paris  who  could 
procure  the  sale  of  many  copies  of  the  work.  When  you  come 
here,  I  wish  you  would  take  the  trouble  of  calling  on  me — I 
might  give  you  some  useful  hints.  I  should  introduce  you  to 
our  yice-Con?ul,  who  could  furnish  you  with  much  important 
information ;  and  if  an  introduction  to  our  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary would  be  acceptable,  I  would,  with  great  pleasure, 
present  to  him  the  author  of  an  intended  work,  which  I  am 
sure  will  earn  the  applause  of  every  man  here  and  in  Europe, 
who  feels  himself  interested  in  the  progress  of  American 
knowledge  and  genius. 

"  I  am,  with  infinite  respect, 

"  Your  very  humble  servant, 

ST.  JOHN,  Comul  of  France." 

The  above  are  but  a  specimen  of  the  many 
letters  he  received  from  prominent  individuale 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  who  re^^arded  it 
a  privilege  to  become  his  helpers  in  the  import- 
ant work  in  which  he  was  engaged. 

In  accepting  an  invitation  to  supply  the  pulpit 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rodgers,  of  New  York,  for  two 
months,  in  the  spring  of  1788,  he  was  influenced 
partly  by  the  consideration  that  a  residence  in 
New  York  would  bring  him  into  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Elizabethtown,  where  his  book  was  to 
be  printed,  while  it  would  afford  him  the  best 
facilities  for  obtaining  additional  information. 

But  now  there  occurred  a  fresh  cause  for  the 
delay  of  his  publication.  Though  the  Constitu- 
tion had  been  framed,  much  the  greater  part  of 
the  States  had  not  yet  adopted  it ;  and,  as  its 
ratification  would  mark  a  most  important  epoch 


200 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


in  bur  national  history,  it  seemed  proper  tliat  not 
only  that  fact  but  the  Constitution  itself  should 
find  a  place  in  the  contemplated  work.  The 
Hon.  Ebenezer  Hazard,  Postmaster  General,  with 
whom  Mr.  Morse  had  now  come  into  intimate 
relations,  wrote  him  an  earnest  letter  on  the  sub- 
ject ;  and  this,  together  with  his  own  mature 
reflection,  and  the  hope  of  gaining  further  infor- 
mation by  the  delay,  led  him  to  postpone  the 
publication  a  while  longer. 

In  accepting  the  call  from  the  Church  in 
Charlestown,  in  December,  1788,  he  intimated 
that,  on  account  of  an  unexpected  delay  in  the 
business  in  wbich  he  was  engaged,  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  commence  his  labours  there 
until  the  close  of  winter  or  the  opening  of  spring. 
The  business  to  which  he  referred  was  the  publi- 
cation of  his  Geography.  With  a  view  to  hasten 
this  as  far  as  possible,  he  went  to  reside  tempo- 
rarily at  Elizabethtown,  and,  after  his  arrival, 
there,  he  had  to  encounter  some  unexpected 
obstacles,  which  were  a  source  of  great  annoy- 
ance to  him.    He  writes  to  Dr.  Belknap  : 

"  i\Iy  work  goes  on  heavily.  I  can  compare  it  to  nothing  but 
sleighing  in  wet  weather,  in  a  gravelly  road,  without  snow.  I 
cannot  even  guess  when  the  book  will  be  printed." 

But  the  time  for  the  publication  of  his  Geo- 
graphy had  now  nearly  come ;  though  there  were 
obstacles  to  its  profitable  circulation,  both  abroad 
and  in  this  country,  that  still  occasioned  him 
much  embarrassment.    He  had  hoped,  and  had 


niS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


201 


been  encouraged  on  high  .authority  to  believe, 
that  he  might  be  able  to  control  its  sale  in  Eng- 
land ;  but  the  result  of  his  inquiries  on  the  sub- 
ject was  a  full  conviction  that  there  was  no  law 
to  permit  an  author  to  secure  a  copy-right,  ex- 
cept in  the  country  where  the  book  was  origi- 
nally published.  The  most  advantageous  ar- 
rangement he  could  make,  was  to  send  five 
hundred  copies  to  Mr.  Stockdale,  a  London  book- 
seller, who  had  been  recommended  to  him  by  Dr. 
Ramsay,  and  two  hundred  more  to  Paris,  which 
had  been  ordered  through  the  agency  of  the 
French  Consul  in  New  York. 

In  regard  to  our  own  country,  his  embarrass- 
ment arose  from  the  fact  that  there  was  no 
national  copy-right  law.  An  author  could  con- 
trol the  sale  of  his  book  only  in  the  State  in 
which  it  was  printed — to  the  other  States  the 
copy-right  did  not  extend.  By  the  new  Consti- 
tution there  had  been  delegated  to  Congress  the 
power  of  "  securing,  for  limited  times,  to  Authors 
and  Inventors  the  exclusive  right  to  their  writ- 
ings and  dif^coveries but  no  law  had  yet  been 
passed  by  that  Body  on  the  subject.  Applica- 
tions, however,  were  now  made  for  it,  particularly 
one  by  Dr.  Ramsay,  which  proved  availing;  and 
the  desired  law  was  enacted  in  May,  1790.  The 
Copy-right  of  the  Geography  is  registered  on  the 
15th  of  September  following. 

This  edition  of  the  Geography,  which  appeared 
in  March,  1789,  is  an  octavo  volume  of  five  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  pages, — ^more  than  seven- 


202 


HIS  LABOUBS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHEK. 


eighths  of  its  contents  being  occupied  with  the 
United  States.  In  addition  to  what  is  strictly 
geographical,  it  contains  a  large  amount  of  his- 
torical and  political  information,  well  fitted  to 
meet  an  important  exigency,  especially  of  the 
time  at  which  it  appeared.  Some  of  Mr.  Morse's 
most  intelligent  friends  Avere  of  the  opinion  that 
he  misjudged  in  not  making  it  cxdysivdy  a  Geo- 
graphy of  America ;  but  his  reason  for  adopting 
a  different  course  was  that  he  desiejned  his  book 
for  schools,  and  intended  that  it  should  take  the 
place  of  certain  English  works,  then  exclusively 
in  use.  Dr.  Ramsa3',  in  a  letter  written  in  June, 
1798,  thus  hints  at  the  monopoly  of  the  English 
booksellers,  in  connection  with  their  ungracious 
treatment  of  every  thing  American : 

^'  They  aflToct  a  contempt  of  every  production  that  is  Ameri- 
can, and  a  total  indifference  to  what  is  going  on,  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic.  Even  Mr.  Jefferson's  book  does  not  sell. 
The  truth  is,  they  do  not  wish  to  encourage  literature  or  manu- 
factures among  us.  Their  unmerited  and  severe  strictures  on 
the  literary  performances  of  Americans  have  made  me  more  an 
American  than  ever.  I  have  escaped  jiretty  well ;  but  you 
bave  doubtless  seen  what  they  have  said  of  Mr.  Adams',  jMr. 
Jefferson's  and  Mr.  Dwight's  performances." 

Mr.  Morse,  instead  of  yielding  to  the  idea  that 
his  Geography  should  be  confined  to  our  own 
countr}"^,  so  far  enlarged,  in  his  next  edition,  his 
account  of  other  parts  of  the  world,  as  to  make 
it  occupy  about  half  of  the  entire  work. 

Almost  as  soon  as  the  book  was  in  print,  it 
became  certain  that  it  was  destined  to  be  an 
entire  success.    In  a  letter  dated  at  New  Haven 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


203 


April  1,— only  four  days  after  its  publication,  he 
writes  thus: 

"Shall  I  tell  you  that  my  Geography  is  already  introduced 
into  Yale  College  as  a  text-book  ?  This  is  a  flattering  circum- 
stance, and  will  tend,  more  than  any  thing,  to  give  the  book  a 
reputation." 

Various  distinguished  individuals,  among  whom 
were  Drs.  Belknap,  Stiles,  AVheelock,  Ramsay 
and  Mr.  Hazard,  who  were  every  way  capable 
of  estimating  the  importance  of  the  work  he  had 
performed,  offered  him  their  congratulations  on 
the  great  service  he  had  rendered  to  the  country 
and  the  world.  In  less  than  five  months  from 
the  date  of  publication,  one  half  of  the  edition 
(which  consisted  of  three  thousand  co2)ies)  was 
sold;  and  within  less  than  a  year  a  second  edi- 
tion was  called  for.  This,  however,  did  not 
appear  until  1793;  but,  meanwhile,  an  Abridg- 
ment for  the  use  of  schools — a  duodecimo  volume 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  pages — ap- 
peared in  1790,  and  passed  rapidly  through 
several  large  editions. 

Of  the  five  hundred  copies  stipulated  to  be 
taken  by  Stockdale,  the  London  publisher,  only 
forty  were  sent;  but  editions  were  soon  published 
in  London,  Edinburgh,  Dublin  and  elsewhere, 
some  with  due  acknowledgment  of  the  author- 
ship, and  others  without  any  acknowledgment 
at  all;  and  thus  the  work  became  extensively 
known  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  Though  he 
received  no  pecuniary  benefit  from  the  sale  of  his 
book  abroad,  he  received  gratifying  testimonials 


^04  mS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGEAPHER. 


to  its  value  from  many  prominent  individuals, 
and  among  them  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  the  age. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Price,  the  great  friend  of  Amer- 
ican liberty,  in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  a  copy 
of  the  book  from  the  author,  says,  29th  March,  1790 : 

"  I  think  this  indeed  a  curious  and  valuable  work,  and  hope 
that  the  reception  of  it  by  the  public  will  be  so  favourable  as  to 
reward  you,  in  some  degree,  for  the  pains  you  have  taken 
about  it  " 

Dr.  Rippon,  a  celebrated  Baptist  clergym.m, 
compiler  of  the  well  known  Hymn  Book,  and 
Editor  of  a  Monthly  Magazine,  writes  to  him 
thus,  30th,  June  1791 : 

The  large  octavo  Geography  was  lent  me  for  a  few  days. 
I  applied  for  three  copies,  but  was  too  late,  all  of  that  edition 
being  sold.  And  permit  me  to  inform  you  that  they  were  sold 
at  the  immoderate  price  of  nine  shillings  sterling.  The  price 
should  not  have  been  more  than  six  or  seven  shillings,  allowing 
for  the  maps,  binding  and  quantity  of  matter.  I  mention  this 
that  you  may  know  how  the  work  has  been  treated,  and  be  pre- 
pared to  lay  a  plan  which  shall  expedite  the  sale  of  so  masterly 
a  performance.  I  fear  some  bookseller  here  has  made  an  ex- 
change with  a  bookseller  or  agent  of  yours  in  America,  and 
has  put  his  own  price  on  a  scarce  article.  I  feel  interested  in 
the  spread  of  your  work,  or  I  would  not  have  presumed  to  write 
80  freely." 

« 

Dr.  Priestley,  well  known  in  the  scientific, 
political  and  religious  world,  writes,  under  date 
of  August  24th,  1793: 

"  I  think  myself  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  the  perusal  of 
your  excellent  treatbe  of  Geography.    We  had  but  a  Terv 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


205 


imperfect  idea  of  America  before,  and  it  has  contributed  not  a 
little  to  the  spirit  of  emigration  that  now  prevails  in  this 
country.  But  the  chief  incentive  is  the  spirit  of  bigotry  en- 
couraged by  the  Court,  that  makes  it  very  unpleasant  and 
almost  unsafe  for  the  friends  of  liberty,  civil  or  religious,  to 
continue  here.  One  of  my  sons  will  deliver  this,  and  it  is  my 
wish  to  settle  them  all  with  you,  in  order  to  follow  them  myself, 
some  time  hence.  My  friends,  Mr.  Wells  and  Mr.  Toulmin, 
are  already  gone, — the  former,  I  understand,  under  your  kind 
patronage,  and  a  worthier  man  you  could  not  befriend.  Great 
numbers  would  go,  if  they  knew  how  to  get  to  America,  or  how 
to  live  after  they  were  there." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  John  Erskine,  of  Edinburgh, 
writes,  7  March,  1796 : 

"  Your  American  Geography  has  met  with  universal  accept- 
ance. It  has  been  translated  into  German,  and  in  Britain  has 
been  printed  by  two  or  three  compilers,  some  with  and  some 
without  acknowledgment  to  whom  they  were  indebted,  besides  a 
fair  and  honourable  republication." 

Professor  Ebeling,  the  distinguished  German 
Geographer,  opened  a  correspondence  with  Mr. 
Morse  in  October,  1793.  After  complimenting 
him  as  "  the  first  who  has  cut  a  road  through  a 
vast  wilderness,"  he  says  of  himself: 

"  As  early  as  1777  I  had  contemplated  writing  a  Geography 
of  America,  but  suspended  my  purpose  because  of  the  great 
and  rapid  changes  then  going  on  in  your  country.  I  am  now 
glad  of  my  delay ;  for  I  find  I  was  misled  by  following  Eng- 
lish authors,  and  had  imbibed  from  them  prejudices  which  the 
perusal  of  your  work  has  happily  removed." 

The  sale  of  the  Geography  of  1789  was  so 
rapid  and  extensive  that,  within  less  than  a  year 
from  its  publication,  a  new  edition  was  called 
18 


206 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  OEOGRAFUEB. 


for.  The  Abridgment  had  been  published  in 
Boston  in  January,  1790,  making  a  duodecimo 
volume  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-one  pages. 
The  printers  of  this  volume  (Thomas  &  Andrews) 
proposed  to  the  author  the  next  spring  that  they 
should  become  the  publishers  of  his  larger  work. 
Mr.  Carey,  of  Philadelphia,  also  made  similar 
proposals,  but  the  Boston  printers  urged  their 
claim  on  the  ground  of  their  having  printed  his 
smaller  work,  and  withal  of  their  living  in  his 
immediate  neighbourhood;  and  they  had  even 
imported  type  in  anticipation  of  the  job.  In 
the  spring  of  1792  lie  contracted  with  them  to 
print  all  future  editions  of  his  two  works:  "the 
American  Geography,'*  and  its  Abridgment, 
"the  Geography  made  Easy,"  for  fourteen 3'ears. — 
the  term  during  which  the  copy-right  lasted.  In 
pursuance  of  this  contract,  the  parties  entered 
at  once  upon  an  edition  of  the  first  mentioned 
work, — "  the  American  Geography." 

The  amount  of  labour  which  he  performed 
now  in  the  revision  of  his  Geography  and  the 
duties  of  the  Pastorate,  it  is  not  easy  to  estimate. 
He  writes  to  his  father  on  the  12th  of  July: 

"  Two  printers  are  engaged  on  the  work.  They  have  printed 
about  one  hundred  pages.  They  will  go  on  faster  as  they  pro- 
ceed. I  shall  not  do  my  part  so  fast  as  they  do  theirs.  But 
luy  health  and  spirits  are  good.  I  hope  to  finish  the  work  in 
the  fall  through  a  kind  Providence.  I  am  encouraged  to  be- 
lieve I  am  doing  good,  not  only  to  my  own  country  but  abroad. 
Late  letters  from  London  say  that  the  Geography  is  well  re- 
ceived by  the  candid  and  judicious.  The  London  edition  sells 
fast.    All  the  Reviewers  speak  well  of  it.    I  enclose  Stock- 


raS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


207 


dale's  advertisement,  in  which  is  the  Monthly  Review's  notice 
of  the  work.  I  mention  these  things  to  encourage  you,  Sir,  to 
let  me  go  on,  without  anxiety.  I  hope  I  shall  not  injure  ray 
health.  And  I  find  my  mind,  after  being  engaged  in  geogra- 
phical pursuits,  returns  with  ease  and  pleasure  to  my  theologi- 
cal studies.  I  hope  the  Geography  has  done  and  will  do  great 
good,  and  that  it  will  appear,  in  due  season,  that  I  have  not 
misspent  my  time  in  writing  it,  whatever  some  good  people  may 
think  to  the  contrary." 

Though  he  calls  the  new  work  a  second  edition 
of  the  Geography  of  1789,  it  is  really  much  more ; 
for,  instead  of  being  confined  chiefly  to  the 
United  States,  it  is  a  general  system  of  Geo- 
graphy, and  the  title  is  altered  accordingly  from 
"  American  "  to  "  the  American  Universal  Geo- 
graphy." It  consists  of  two  volumes,  octavo, 
containing  together  more  th.m  sixteen  hundred 
pages.  The  first  volume  relates  wholly  to  the 
AVestern  Continent,  and  chiefly  to  the  United 
States,  and  is  properly  a  second  edition  of  the 
former  work, — the  rapid  growth  of  the  country 
in  four  years  having  rendered  necessary  many 
additions  and  corrections.  The  second  volume, 
devoted  to  the  Eastern  Continent,  is  compiled 
from  European  works,  chiefly  from  Guthrie's 
Geography;  and  he  was  induced  to  publish  it 
from  a  wish  to  supply  Americans  with  a  book 
better  suited  to  their  tastes  and  their  wants  than 
one  which  was  wholly  of  European  origin. 

When  the  work  appeared,  it  was  received  with 
great  favour,  and  brought  to  him  many  testi- 
monies of  warm  approval  from  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic.    Among  other  letters  was  the  follow- 


208 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


ing  from  General  Washington,  acknowledging  a 
copy  of  the  work,  dated  Philadelphia,  17  July, 
1793: 

"  Rey.  Sir:  I  should  have,  at  an  earlier  moment,  acknow- 
ledged the  receipt  of  your  f>olite  letter  of  the  25th  of  June,  and 
returned  mj  best  thanks  for  the  acceptable  work  which  accom- 
panied it,  had  I  not  been  at  Mount  Vernon  when  they  reached 
this  place.  You  will,  therefore,  be  pleased  now.  Sir,  to  accept 
the  thanks  and  acknowledgments  which  are  due  for  your 
polite  attention  in  sending  me  a  set  of  the  American  Universal 
Geography.  And,  at  the  same  time,  be  assured  that  you  have 
my  best  wishes  that  you  may  be  amply  rewarded  for  the  time 
and  labour  spent  in  preparing  so  valuable  a  work. 
"  With  due  consideration,  I  am.  Rev.  Sir, 
"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"GEORGE  AVASHINGTON." 

But,  notwithstanding  the  general  approving 
voice  in  respect  to  the  work,  there  were  some  few 
instances  of  decided  and  open  dissent  Of  these 
•  the  most  marked  was  a  pamphlet  which  appeared 
in  the  fall  of  1793,  entitled  "Remarks  on  the 
American  Geography,  by  J.  F."  A  copy  of  this 
pamphlet  was  sent  to  Mr.  Morse  by  the  author, 
accompanied  by  the  following  note  : 

"1  October,  1793.  Dear  Sir:  I  take  the  liberty  to  present 
you  a  small  pamphlet,  containing  Remarks  on  the  last  edition 
of  your  Geography.  Though  I  have  given  the  public  nothing 
more  than  the  initials  of  my  name,  yet  to  you  I  acknowledge 
myself  to  be  the  author.  Perhaps  in  some  places  you  may 
charge  me  with  too  much  severity ;  but  I  assure  you  that  I  have 
suppressed  many  observations,  which,  though  they  appeared  to 
be  well  founded,  I  was  afraid  might  give  you  pain.  As  a  man, 
as  a  gentleman,  and  as  a  Christian,  I  respect  your  character. 
But  I  conceive  that  every  work  that  b  offered  for  sale,  however 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


209 


worthy  the  author  of  it  may  be,  is  a  proper  subject  for  criticism, 
and  that  you  have  no  reason  to  be  offended  if  your  mistakes  and 
prejudices  are  fairly  and  impartially  pointed  out.  I  hope  you 
will  believe  mc  when  I  say  that  nothing  is  farther  from  my 
thoughts  than  to  injure  the  sale  of  your  Geography.  A  fugitive 
pamphlet,  which  perhaps  may  never  be  read,  or  if  read  will  soon 
be  forgotten,  cannot  possibly  hurt  the  reputation  of  a  book 
which  has  been  recommended  by  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
characters  in  the  United  States,  and  which  has  been  introduced 
!nto  almost  all  our  schools  and  Colleges.  As  far  as  my  small 
influence  extends,  I  have  always  been  ready  to  do  honour  to 
your  work.  When  I  was  one  of  the  School  Committee  of 
Boston,  I  cheerfully  voted  for  the  introduction  of  your  Abridg- 
ment into  our  Reading  Schools ;  and  not  long  ago  I  republished 
in  the  Centinel  an  English  Review,  in  which  your  American 
Geography  is  highly  applauded.  These  facts  will  show  you  that 
I  owe  you  no  ill  will,  but  that  my  object  in  writing  the 
Remarks  is  to  induce  you  to  render  the  future  editions  of  your 
Geography  more  worthy  of  yourself,  and  more  honourable  to 
your  country. 

"  With  respect,  I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

•*  Your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

"JAMES  FREEMAN." 

To  this  letter  he  replied : 

"  Charlestown,  2  October,  179.3.  Sir  :  Last  evening,  at  a 
late  hour,  I  received  your  letter  of  yesterday,  accompanied  with 
*a  pamphlet  containing  Remarks  on  the  last  edition  of  my 
Geography,'  for  which  I  take  the  earliest  opportunity  to  return 
you  my  thanks.  Depend  on  it.  Sir,  I  shall  give  it  an  attentive 
and  candid  reading.  After  the  perusal,  should  I  think  proper, 
in  my  own  vindication,  to  publish  Observations  on  your  pam- 
phlet, I  presume  you  will  have  no  objections  to  my  introducing 
them  to  the  public  with  your  letter.  I  can  surely  have  no 
reason  to  be  offended  when  *  my  mistakes  and  prejudices  are 
fairly  pointed  out and  if  I  find  this  to  be  the  case  in  your 
Remarks,  yon  may  rest  assured  of  receiving  my  most  sincere 
thanks.    How  far  your  sending  me  your  criticisms  through  the 


210 


mS  LABOUB8  AB  A  G£OOBAPfl£K. 


mediam  of  the  press,  rather  than  in  a  more  private  manner, 
comports  with  the  professions  you  make  of  friendship  for  me, 
and  of  having  no  thought  to  injure  the  sale  of  my  Geography, 
I  shall  perhaps  be  better  able  to  determine  when  I  have  read 
your  pamphlet.  A  needless  public  exposure  of  the  faults  of 
any  person,  when  their  correction  can  as  well  be  effected  in  a 
more  private  manner,  is,  upon  every  principle  of  honour,  friend- 
ship and  religion,  unjustifiable.  And  if  a  man  finds  himself 
compelled,  from  a  sense  of  duty,  to  accuse  his  friend  before  the 
public  tribunal,  he  ought  at  least  previously  to  acquaint  him 
with  the  charges  he  means  to  exhibit  against  him,  and  hear 
what  he  has  to  say  in  his  own  vindication.  A  real  friend  would 
certainly  do  this.    But  this  you  have  not  done. 

"  Your  pamphlet  may  or  may  not  '  hurt  the  reputation  of  the 
Geography.'  .  If  it  should  not,  (and  you  say  it  caunot  possibly), 
I  see  no  necessity  for  your  having  published  it.  For  if  the 
faults  of  the  work  are  of  such  a  nature  as,  if  publicl}'  known, 
would  not  lessen  its  reputation  in  the  public  mind,  then  they 
must  be  faults  of  no  great  magnitude  and  importance,  and  in- 
herent in  the  nature  of  the  work,  such  as  a  candid  mind  would 
easily  account  for  and  excuse,  and  therefore  such  as  might, 
without  injury  to  the  public,  have  been  seasonably  corrected  in 
a  future  edition.  But  if  the  errors  are  such  as  to  demand 
public  and  severe  censure  even  by  a  profes>ed  friend,  the  publi- 
cation of  them  can  hardly  avoid  hurting  the  reputation  of  the 
work.  I  must  confess  I  am  at  present  at  a  loss  to  know  how 
to  reconcile  your  conduct  with  your  professions.  But  I  suspend 
any  further  remarks  till  I  shall  have  examined  your  pamphlet. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  after  grateful  acknowledgments  for  all 
your  influence  and  endeavours  to  promote  the  honour  and  extend 
the  sale  of  my  work, 

"  I  subscribe  myself.  Sir,  with  respect  and  esteem, 
"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"J.  MORSE." 

Dr.  Morse,  both  then  and  at  a  later  period,  ex- 
pressed the  undoubting  conviction  that  this 
pamphlet  would  not  have  been  written  but  for 


fflS  liABOUKS  AS  A  GEOGRAl'IIER. 


211 


the  antaj^onism  that  existed  between  the  writer 
of  it  and  himself,  in  their  theological  views.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Jenks  of  Boston,  an  intimate  personal 
friend  of  Dr.  Freeman,  in  reply  to  a  note 
addressed  to  him  on  the  subject  by  one  of  Dr. 
Morse's  sons,  in  November,  1859,  says  : 

"  You  are  right,  I  think,  in  attributing  the  severity  of  this 
criticism  on  the  Geography,  in  part  at  least,  to  tlie  odium 
theologicum  of  that  contentious  period.  No  doubt  exists  in 
my  own  mind,  however,  that  your  much  honoured  and  much 
abused  father  made  use  of  these  animadversions  in  subsequent 
editions  of  his  work." 

If  this  was  really  so,  as  it  undoubtedly  was,  it 
only  proved  that,  whatever  might  have  been  Dr. 
Morse's  sense  of  injury,  it  did  not  lead  him  to 
undervalue  correct  criticism. 

Some  two  years  after  this  there  appeared 
another  anonymous  pamphlet  entitled  *'  Letter 
to  the  Rev.  Jedidiah  Morse,  A.  M.,  Author  of 
the  American  Universal  Geography,  by  a  Citizen 
of  Williamsburg,  Virginia."  The  writer,  known 
afterwards  to  be  St.  George  Tucker,  was  at 
the  time  Professor  of  Law  in  William  and  Mary 
College,  Williamsburg,  and  had  been  dissatisfied 
with  some  remarks  in  the  Geography  of  1789, 
which  he  considered  as  reflecting  upon  the  moral 
and  religious  character  of  his  townsmen.  He 
did  not  observe  the  usual  civility  of  sending  a 
copy  of  the  Letter  to  the  person  to  whom  it 
was  publicly  addressed ;  but  Dr.  Morse  borrowed 
the  pamphlet  from  the  Historical  Society ;  and, 
Laying  read  it,  returned  it  with  his  criticisms, 


I 

212 


mS  LABOUES  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


accompanied  by  a  request  that  they  also  might 
be  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Society.  In 
view  of  the  same  facts  which  had  provoked 
Judge  Tucker's  indignation,  another  still  more 
eminent  Virginian,  James  Madison,  in  a  note, 
written  in  May,  1792,  had  said: 

"The  only  part  of  your  account  of  Virginia,  which,  on  a 
bare  perusal,  might  seem  to  need  correction,  is  that  relating  to 
the  manners  of  the  country ;  and  here  a  native  should  always 
be  diffident,  especially  when  the  colours  of  the  picture  appear 
to  him  to  be  unjust  to  the  original,  towards  which  he  may  be 
supposed  not  to  be  impartial." 

In  May,  1794,  a  year  after  the  publication  of 
the  Geographj'^  of  *93,  he  writes  thus  to  Professor 
Ebeling : 

"Since  the  year  1784,  when  I  published  my  first  juvenile 
Essay,  there  have  been  printed  in  America  twenty  thousand  six 
hundred  copies  of  my  Geography,  including  in  this  number  the 
copies  of  the  several  editions  of  the  Abridgment  of  the  larger 
work  for  the  use  of  schools.  *  *  *  I  am  as  seusible  as  any 
person  of  the  defects  of  my  work.  I  have  trodden  an  unbeaten 
path.  I  have  had  every  thing  to  collect  anew.  My  sources  of 
information  have  not  al  vays  been  accurate.  Many  have  failed 
and  much  remains  yet  to  be  done.  The  field  before  me  is  ex- 
tensive, and  I  sometimes  contemplate  it  with  a  misgiving  heart. 
I  have  but  a  slender  constitution,  a  large  and  growing  parish, 
many  interruptions  inseparable  from  my  situation,  and,  as  you 
know  from  the  nature  of  geographical  labour,  an  extensive  cor- 
respondence. In  such  forbidding  circumstances,  to  undertake 
the  description  of  an  unexplored,  or  but  partially  explored 
country,  rising  into  importance  with  unexampled  rapidity;  and 
to  attempt,  in  successive  editions  of  an  Universal  Geography,  to 
keep  pace  with  the  progress  of  this  age  of  discoveries,  of 
changes,  and  of  revolutions,  are  objects  from  which  I  shrink 
when  I  think  of  their  difficulty  and  magnitude." 


mS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER, 


213 


But,  notwithstanding  the  difficulty  to  which  he 
refers  in  this  letter,  he  had  already  set  himself  to 
the  task  of  preparing  a  third  edition ;  and,  in 
view  of  his  greatly  increased  amount  of  mate- 
rial, he  had  half  formed  the  purpose  of  enlarging 
his  book  and  issuing  it  in  the  quarto  form.  But, 
before  venturing  upon  this  plan,  he  consulted 
Dr.  Stiles,  in  whose  judgment  and  friendship  he 
had  great  confidence,  and  received  from^him  the 
following  characteristic  advice,  in  a  letter  dated 
Yale  College,  19  February,  1794: 

"  As  to  the  quarto  edition,  you  know  that  it  can  be  purchased 
by  but  few.  But  if  Mr.  Thomas  (the  printer)  will  adventure 
it,  were  I  in  your  case,  I  should  make  no  objection ;  though  I 
think  your  principal  profit  can  be  expected  only  from  the  octavo 
edition. 

"  In  Philosophy,  Desaguliers  wrote  first  a  convenient  vol- 
ume, which  rose  into  repute,  and  induced  him  to  augment  it 
into  two  quarto  volumes,— excellent  indeed,  but  it  spoiled  his 
market,  or  confined  it  to  the  opulent  only. 

"  Gravesande  wrote  two  convenient  volumes  of  Philosophy 
in  octavo.    It  had  a  run,  was  excellent,  its  reputation  high 
His  literature  and  his  ambition  enlarged  the  work  to  two  quarto 
volumes,  ended  the  sale,  and  put  it  to  sleep. 

"  Salmon  enlarged  his  Grammar  of  Geography  to  a  folio, 
and  it  is  lost  in  oblivion.  Guthrie  is  in  the  road  to  death  by 
enlarging  itself,  like  the  Roman  empire,  to  ruin  and  suicide. 
Mr.  Morse  has  gotten  a  Geography  superior  to  all  of  them.  It 
has  grown  uncommonly  under  his  hands ;  and  if  it  goes  on 
growing  with  his  universal  information,  it  will  grow  itself  into 
oblivion. 

"  My  advice  is  to  restrict  it  with  absolute  permanency  to  two 
convenient  octavo  volumes,  and  there  abide  fixed  as  fate. 
Alterations  and  corrections  may  be  made,  but  I  would  take 
oat  as  much  as  I  put  in.  Then  let  the  volumes  be  printed  in 
octavo  or  qaarto — it  is  immaterial.    Only  never  let  the  matter 


214  mS  LABOUBS  AS  A  GEOORAFHEB. 


exceed  tbe  comprebension  of  two  octavo  volumes.  If  you  do, 
somebody  else  will  start  up,  witb  even  a  single  octavo,  like 
Gordon,  and  put  you  to  sleep.  I  bave  tboagbt  you  in  danger 
of  too  copious  an  enlargement,  in  order  to  comprebend  and 
communicate  all  tbe  curious,  learned  and  entertaining  discove- 
ries and  accurate  observations  and  information  of  modem 
travellers.  Stop  wbere  you  are.  Retrencb  and  substitute,  if 
you  find  new  and  more  profitable  matter.  Otberwisc  you  will 
get  into  tbe  bi.storics  of  Empires  and  of  tbe  World  instead  of 
Geograjiby.  And  tben  tbe  world  will  leave  you  for  Hume, 
Gibbon,  Voltaire,  Rollin,  Robertson,  and  perbaps  for  the  an- 
cient Latin  and  Greek  Historians.  In  sbort,  they  want  you 
for  Geograpby,  and  otbt^rs  for  History.  And  tbougb  some 
summary  and  succinct  History  may  be  well  to  be  coujoiued 
witb  Geograpby,  yet  *  sunt  vest i  den ique  Jines.^*^ 

This  advice  was  followed,  the  idea  of  a  quarto 
abandoned,  and  three  years  after,  (in  1796,)  the 
third  edition  of  the  work,  consisting  of  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  copies,  and  fifteen  hundred 
copies  extra  of  the  first  volume,  appeared  in  the 
same  form  Avith  its  predecessors.  Two  hundred 
pages  were  added,  and  the  number  of  maps  was 
increased  from  eleven  to  twenty-eight. 

Though  he  had  conceived  the  idea  of  publish- 
ing an  American  Gazetteer  as  early  as  1786,  and 
had  it  in  a  state  of  considerable  forwardness  in 
the  spring  of  1790,  yet  so  manifold  were  his  pro- 
fessional engagements,  and  so  much  time  was 
necessarily  given  to  the  preparation  of  the  several 
editions  of  his  Geography,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
delay  the  issue  of  his  Gazetteer  much  beyond  his 
wishes  and  expectations.  In  1793  Mr.  Noal 
Webster  entered  into  an  engagement  to  assis 
him  in  compiling  the  Gazetteer,  but,  in  conse 


mS  LABOITRS  AS  A  OEOGILVPnER.  215 


quence  of  his  removal  to  New  York  to  become 
the  Editor  of  a  daily  newspaper,  which  required 
his  whole  time,  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw  from 
the  engagement.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Austin  also, 
who  had  been  Mr.  Morse's  College  classmate,  and 
had  co-operated  with  him  for  some  time  in  tlie 
Gazetteer,  had  grown  weary  of  the  delay  of 
publication,  and  had  retired  from  the  enterprise, 
leaving  him  without  any  coadjutor.  lie  now 
employed  a  gentleman  from  Aberdeen,  Scotland, 
resident  in  Boston,  to  prosecute  the  compilation 
of  the  work  from  such  material  as  he  should 
furnish ;  and  most  of  it  seems  to  have  been 
gathered  from  his  own  Geograph3^  Early  in  the 
year  1796,  proposals  to  print  and  publish  the 
work  were  issued  by  T.  and  J.  Swords,  of  New 
York;  but,  in  consequence  of  some  pecuniary 
embarrassment  to  which  they  were  subsequently 
subjected,  ihey  abandoned  the  project  even  after 
the  printing  had  actually  commenced ;  and  the 
work  was  now  transferred  to  Boston,  where  it 
could  be  done  di recti}'  under  the  author's  eye. 
The  book  appeared  in  May,  1797, — an  octavo 
volume  of  six  hundred  pages.  Copies  of  it  were 
sent  by  the  author  to  various  distinguished  per- 
sons, one  of  whom,  the  most  eminent  of  all, 
returned  the  following  acknowledgment: 

"Mount  Vernon,  20  June,  1797.  Dear  Sir:  The  last 
Eastern  mail  brought  me  your  favour  of  the  1st  instant.  I  beg 
yon  to  accept  mj  best  acknowledgments,  and  the  assurance  of 
my  belief  that  it  will  be  found  a  most  useful  and  valuable  work. 
As  evidence  of  this  belief,  I  had,  just  before  the  receipt  of  your 


210  HIS  LABOUBS  AB  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


letter,  requested  my  correspondent  in  Philadelphia  (where  I 
found  they  were  to  be  had)  to  send  me  a  copy.  And  for  the 
kind  and  flattering  sentiment,  which  you  have  expressed  for 
me  and  Mrs.  Washington  in  the  former,  I  offer  you  my  grateful 
thanks  ;  Leing,  with  much  esteem  and  respect,  Dear  Sir,  your 
obliged  and  obedient  humble  servant, 

"GEORGE  WASHINGTON." 

Though  a  law  securing  to  authors  the  copy- 
right of  their  works  had  been  passed  by  Congress 
in  1790,  he  was  not,  owing  to  various  circum- 
stances, without  a  measure  of  distrust  as  to  the 
security  of  his  rights ;  and  this  distrust  was  fully 
justified  by  subsequent  developments.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1794,  he  was  informed  b}'  the  London  pub- 
lisher (Stockdale)  of  a  G20graphy  just  then 
published  by  three  persons  confined  in  Newgate 
prison.  This  was  no  other  than  Winterbotham's 
Geography.  The  book  was  reprinted  in  New 
York,  by  John  Reid,  an  English  bookseller.  It 
turned  out  that  six  hundred  pages,  out  of  the  two 
thousand  which  the  work  contained,  were  copied 
verbatim  from  Morse*s  American  Geography, 
being  nearly  the  whole  of  that  work.  Belknap, 
Jefferson,  and  several  other  American  authors, 
shared  a  like  fate ;  but  Morse  was  the  only  one 
who  did  not  consent  to  pass  over  the  offence  in 
silence.  He  felt  that  it  was  a  duty  that  he  owed 
to  the  public  not  less  than  to  himself  to  test  the 
efl&ciency  of  the  copy-right  law.  He  therefore 
commenced  a  suit  immediately,  having  for  his 
counsel  James  Kent  (afterwards  Chancellor  of 
New  York)  and  Alexander  Hamilton,  the  latter 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRArilER. 


217 


of  whom  kindly  proffered  his  services  in  the 
following  note : 

"  New  York,  January  4,  1795. 
"To  the  Rev.  J.  Morse,  D.  D. — Sir:  You  will  confer  a 
favour  upon  me  to  allow  me  to  render  you  the  little  service 
which  may  be  in  my  power  on  the  present  occasion,  and  without 
compensation.  Bo  assured  it  will  give  me  real  pleasure,  and 
let  that  be  my  recompense. 

Mr.  Kent  and  I  have  conferred  on  your  affair.  It  is  neces- 
sary for  us  to  see  the  book  in  question,  in  order  to  a  safe 
opinion.    Can  one  be  had  ? 

"  With  respect  and  esteem, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"ALEXANDER  HAMILTON." 

The  book  was  sent  as  requested;  but,  before 
prosecuting  his  claim,  the  author  made  amicable 
overtures  to  the  offending  part3%  through  his 
friend,  Mr.  Noah  Webster,  which,  however,  were 
rejected.  About  the  same  time  he  received  a 
letter  from  Stockdale,  the  London  Publisher,  in- 
forming him  that  tl)e  London  quarto  and  octavo 
editions  of  his  American  Geography  would  not 
all  be  sold  for  some  years,  "owing  to  that  vil- 
lainous Newgate  compilation," — adding,  "If  you 
can  prevent  its  publication  in  America,  by  all 
means  do  it,  as  it  will  injure  your  work  greatly." 

The  case,  after  having  undergone  considerable 
delay  in  the  Courts,  was  finally  decided  in  April, 
1798,  to  Dr.  Morse's  entire  satisfaction.  There 
were  allowed  to  him  the  nett  profits  arising  from 
the  sale  of  seventeen  hundred  copies  of  the  first 
volume  of  his  Geography, — equal  to  the  number 
of  copies  of  Winterbotham*8  Geography  that  had 
19 


218  HIS  iJkBOUBS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


been  sold.  But  as  it  was  not  80  much  damages  as 
the  establishment  of  a  principle,  fixing  literary 
property  on  a  firm  basis,  that  he  contended  for, 
he  afterwards  consented  to  take  less  than  half 
the  sum  proposed  by  the  Clerk  of  the  Court  as  a 
fair  settlement,  and  even  allowed  Reid  to  sell  the 
eleven  hundred  copies  of  his  book  which  remained 
on  hand,  notwithstanding  the  Court  had  ruled 
to  the  contrary — to  this  generous  act  he  was 
prompted  from  hearing  that  the  man  who  had 
thus  wantonly  assailed  his  rights,  had  an  ami- 
able, deserving  famil}',  who  would  sutler  by  an 
infliction  of  the  whole  penalty  imposed  by  the 
verdict.  The  principle  established  by  this  law- 
suit was  one  of  great  importance;  and  the  case 
has  ever  since  been  recognized  as  a  precedent, 
securing  to  authors  the  benefit  of  the  copy-right 
law. 

One  effect  of  the  American  Geography  abroad 
was  to  promote  immigration  to  this  country. 
Accordingly,  we  find  the  Rev.  AVilliam  Wells,  of 
Bromsgrove,  Worcestershire,  England,  writing 
thus  to  Dr.  Morse,  under  date  of  September,  1791 : 

'  Having  read  your  Abridgment  of  American  Geography,  I 
lake  the  liberty  of  addressing  you  this  letter.  1  am  a  Pro- 
testant Dissenting  minister,  keep  a  boarding  school  for  boys, 
and  occupy  a  little  farm.  I  have  also  a  large  family  of  my 
own.  I  have  long  talked  of  going  to  America.  My  reasons 
for  wishing  to  remove  from  England  are  the  enormous  burden 
of  public  and  parochial  taxes,  the  corrupt  s^'stem  of  govern- 
ment, and  the  resentment  and  bitterness  raised  against  Dis- 
fieuters  by  the  late  Birmingham  riots." 


HIS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOORAPHER. 


219 


In  another  letter,  bearing  date  January,  1792, 
Mr.  Wells  says : 

"Stockdale  has  ptiblished  an  edition  of  your  Geography, 
which  I  have, — a  valuable  book  and  much  read.  A  gentleman 
of  distinction  for  abilities,  character  and  fortune  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, tells  his  children — '  Study  the  book,  as  North  America 
is  the  place  yoa  will  probably  go  to.'  People  here  are  on  tiptoe 
to  be  gone,  and  were  some  few  to  lead  the  way,  and  give  a  good 
account  of  things,  multitudes  would  follow." 

The  year  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  Mr. 
Wells  came  over  with  his  family,  and  established 
himself  at  Brattleboro',  Vt.  He  was  the  father 
of  the  late  William  Wells,  for  many  years  a  dis- 
tin^;uished  publisher  and  bookseller  in  Boston. 

Some  other  Dissenting  ministers  addressed 
him  in  a  similar  strain,  in  behalf  not  only  of 
themselves,  but  their  friends,  who  were  strongly 
predisposed  to  find  a  home  in  this  countr}  ,  from 
the  ideas  in  respect  to  it  which  his  Geography 
had  communicated  to  them. 

The  American  Gazetteer  was  considered  incom- 
plete without  a  second  volume,  which  should 
embrace  the  other  three-quarters  of  the  Globe. 
But  this  required  an  amount  of  labour  which  he 
could  not  undertake,  unassisted,  in  addition  to 
his  professional  engagements  and  numerous  other 
cares  already  devolved  upon  him ;  but,  happily, 
he  was  allowed  to  put  in  requisition  the  aid  of 
his  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Elijah  Parish,  of  Byfield, 
who  was  every  way  competent  to  such  a  service. 
Accordingly,  the  Gazetteer  of  the  Eastern  Conti- 
nent was  in  due  time  completed ;  and  in  1802  it 


220  HIS  Labours  as  a  geographee. 


was  published  as  the  joint  production  of  the  two 
men.  In  1804  they  published  a  second  and  re- 
vised edition  of  the  first  volume,  or  American 
Gazetteer,  and  in  1808,  of  the  second  volume,  or 
Gazetteer  of  the  Eastern  Continent. 

A  fourth  edition,  of  three  thousand  copies,  of 
the  American  Universal  Geography  was  pub- 
lished in  1801 ;  and  in  1805,  a  fifth  edition  of 
five  thousand  copies;  both  without  being  much 
enlarged,  but  enriched  with  new  matter,  to  the 
exclusion  of  what  had  become  obsolete  .or  less 
important.  The  sale  of  this  work,  from  its 
first  publication,  had  been  about  one  thousand 
copies  a  year;  and  in  the  fall  of  1810,  he  issued 
a  printed  Circular  which  he  scattered  among 
intelligent  men  throughout  the  country,  request- 
ing of  them  geographical  information  in  aid  of  a 
sixth  edition.  This  edition  was  published  in 
due  time,  and  also  consisted  of  five  thousand 
copies. 

In  its  preparation  Dr.  Morse  was  assisted  by 
Sereno  E.  Dwight,  Esq.,  then  just  admitted  to 
the  Bar  in  New  Haven,  but  afterwards  Pastor  of 
the  Park  Street  Church,  Boston.  Mr.  Dwight 
had  been  for  some  time  gathering  and  arranging 
materials  for  a  work  on  Geography,  intending  to 
complete  and  publish  it  in  his  own  name.  Dr. 
Morse,  having  become  apprised  of  this,  proposed 
to  him  that  the  materials  thus  collected,  with 
some  others  which  he  himself  would  furnish, 
should  be  moulded  into  a  new  edition,  which 
should  still  bear  his  own  name.    To  this  pro* 


raS  LABOURS  AS  A  GEOGRAPHER. 


221 


posal  Mr.  Dwiglit  cheerfully  gave  his  consent ; 
and  the  work  was  thus  ultimately  written,  much 
after  the  plan  of  the  Geography  of  Pinkerton. 
There  were  some  doubthil  points  to  be  settled  in 
respect  to  the  publication,  partly  between  the 
authors  and  the  publishers;  but  their  views 
were  at  last  entirely  harmonious.  The  time  oc- 
cupied in  preparing  the  work  was  about  fourteen 
months — from  December,  1810  to  January,  1812; 
and  during  nearly  the  whole  of  this  period  Mr. 
D wight  gave  to  it  not  less  than  ten  hours  a  day. 
His  name  would  have  appeared  on  the  title  page, 
if  he  had  not  particularly  requested  that  it  should 
be  withheld,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  un- 
favourable to  his  professional  prospects  to  have 
the  impression  get  abroad  that  he  was  not  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  the  Law.  In  a  letter  ad- 
dressed by  Mr.  Dwight  to  Dr.  Morse,  2G  May, 
1812,  he  says; 

"  Your  generous  approbation  of  the  part  of  the  Geography 
executed  by  me,  is  extremely  gratifying  to  my  feelings.  I  also 
freely  acknowledge  that  without  the  assistance  furnished  by 
you,  particularly  in  the  American  volume  and  in  Hassel'a 
Tables,  the  undertaking  on  my  part  would  have  been  hopeless." 

Mr.  Dwight  subsequently  prepared  for  the 
author  an  Abridgment  of  this  Geography,  in  an 
octavo  volume  of  five  hundred  pages,  of  which 
an  edition  of  three  thousand  copies  was  published 
in  1814. 

From  this  period,  or  perhaps  a  little  earlier, 
nearly  the  whole  labour  of  editing  Dr.  Morse's 
principal  geographical  works  was  devolved  on 


222 


HIS  LABOUUS  AS  A  G£OGRAPII£B. 


.  his  son,  Mr.  Sidney  E.  Morse.  He  rewrote  the 
duodecimo  School  Geography  in  1820,  the  octavo 
Geography  in  1822,  and,  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  Mr.  Richard  C.  Morse,  the  Universal 
Gazetteer,  in  one  royal  octavo  volume  in  1823. 
He  also  prepared  the  Atlases  to  accompany  all 
these  works. 

A  year  or  two  before  his  death,  Dr.  Morse 
amused  himself  with  the  preparation  of  a  21  mo. 
Geography  for  small  children,  which"  was  pub- 
lished, and  was  highly  spoken  of  by  those  who 
used  it.  This  was  the  last  of  his  geographical 
works. 

After  Dr.  Morse*s  death,  his  son  continued  to 
prepare  new  editions  of  the  School  Geography ; 
and  having  invented  a  mode  of  engraving,  adapted 
especially  to  tlie  production  of  plates  for  printing 
maps,  in  connection  with  type,  under  the  common 
printing  press,  he  applied  the  new  art,  named 
Cerography,  to  the  illustration  of  a  School  Geo- 
'  graphy,  which  was  published  in  1844  by  the 
Harpers.  The  cheapness  of  the  book,  in  connec- 
tion with  its  great  value,  gave  it  at  once  an 
immense  circulation.  More  tlian  one  hundred 
thousand  copies  were  put  into  the  market  during 
the  first  year,  and  the  work  continued  to  be 
disposed  of  at  this  rate  for  a  number  of  years. 


V. 


IIis  Labours  in  other  Departments  of  Authorship. 

Closely  allied  to  a  taste  for  Geography  is  the 
taste  for  History ;  and  the  two  were  united  in 
Dr.  Morse.  His  Geography  of  course  embodied 
a  large  amount  of  historic  material ;  but  he  had 
collected  a  much  larger  amount,  and  had  formed 
the  purpose,  which,  however,  was,  in  great  mea- 
sure defeated  by  death,  of  giving  to  the  world 
the  full  benefit  of  his  researches  in  this  depart- 
ment. 

Dr.  Morse's  first  distinct  historical  publication 
dates  back  to  about  the  commencement  of  the 
present  century.  By  request  of  Thomas  Dobson, 
the  Philadelphia  publisher,  he  wrote  the  article. 
New  England,  in  the  supplement  of  the  Ameri- 
can edition  of  the  Encyclopedia  Brittanica  in 
1801.  The  article  attracted  much  attention 
in  literary  circles,  and  a  wish  was  expressed  by 
several  prominent  individuals  that  it  might  be 
republished  in  a  volume  by  itself.  Accordingly, 
with  Mr.  Dobson*s  consent,  and  the  editorial  as- 
sistance of  the  Rev.  Elijah  Parish,  it  was  revised, 
enlarged,  divided  into  chapters,  and  issued  from 
the«pre8s  early  in  the  fall  of  1804,  in  a  duodecimo 
volume  of  three  hundred  eighty-eight  pages,  with 


S24 


HIS  OTHER  UkBOURS  IN  ArTHORSHIP. 


the  title, — "  A  Compendious  Ilistory  of  New  Eng- 
land designed  for  Schools  and  Private  Families. 
By  Jedidiah  Morse,  D.  D.,  and  Elijah  Parish, 
A.  M."  This  work  was  very  favourably  received, 
and  reached  its  third  edition  in  1820. 

In  the  fall  of  1806  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Trum- 
bull, D.  D.,  the  Historian  of  Connecticut,  made 
overtures  to  Dr.  Morse  to  continue  and  complete 
the  History  of  the  United  States,  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  which  he  ( Dr.  T .)  had  already  engaged. 
He  was  disposed  to  listen  to  the  proposal,  and,  on 
consulting  his  friend,  John  Adams,  on  the  subject, 
he  received  from  him  a  letter  containing  valuable 
historical  information  which  concludes  thus: 

"  I  cannot  pretend  to  any  extraordinary  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  this  country,  or  of  what  a  General  History  of  it  ought 
to  contain ;  nor  is  my  letter  written  with  sufficient  care  for 
publication.  But  as  this  is  equally  true  of  every  other  thing 
of  mine  that  has  been  published,  you  are  quite  at  liberty  to 
make  whatever  use  of  this  you  please.  My  life  has  passed  in 
too  much  hurry  to  allow  me  to  keep  any  thing  nine  years  or 
nine  minutes  under  correction.  The  task  you  have  undertaken 
is  very  arduous,  but  if  any  industry  can  accomplish  it,  you  will 
be  more  adequate  to  it  than  any  other  man  I  know.  My  house, 
library,  letters,  written  or  received,  shall  be  open  to  you,  as 
well  as  any  papers  I  possess,  whenever  you  please.  You  will 
find  them  indeed  rudis  indigestaque  moles,  and  enough  to  try 
the  patience  of  Job ;  but  whether  they  will,  after  all,  be  of 
much  use  to  you,  I  doubt." 

Notwithstanding  Dr.  Morse  was,  from  the  first, 
disposed  to  entertain  Dr.  Trumbull's  proposal 
favourably,  so  much  time  passed  before  he  re- 
sponded to  it  definitely,  that  his  friend  grew  im- 


HIS  OTHER  LuMJOURS  IN  AUTHORSHIP.  225 


patient,  and  began  to  think  that  he  must  put  in 
requisition  the  services  of  some  other  person. 
At  length,  however,  Dr.  Morse  gave  a  definite 
answer  in  the  .nffirmative.  But  the  burden  of 
cares,  which  he  found  it  impossible  to  throw  off, 
kept  him  from  doing  any  thing  towards  the  fulfil- 
ment of  his  purpose  for  several  years.  In  1809 
pubscription  papers  were  issued  for  the  publica- 
tion of  the  first  volume,  which  had  already  been 
written  by  Dr.  Trumbull.  The  manuscript  was 
submitted,  through  Dr.  Morse,  to  Mr.  Adams, 
who,  after  carefully  reading  it,  with  eyes  that 
were  scarcely  able  to  perform  their  office,  re- 
turned it  with  the  strongest  expressions  of  appro- 
bation. The  next  year  (1810)  the  first  volume 
was  published  under  Dr.  Morse's  auspices,  and, 
by  Dr.  TruinbuH's  request,  he  retained  the  papers 
relating  to  the  remainder  of  the  History,  which 
had  been  previously  deposited  with  him.  Several 
other  eminent  men  were  requested  to  carry 
forward  the  work,  but  none  of  them  could  be 
induced  to  undertake  it. 

Here  the  matter  rested  several  years  longer. 
In  1815,  being  partially  relieved  from  other  cares, 
Dr.  Morse  yielded  to  the  desire,  still  expressed, 
that  he  would  himself  undertake  to  write  the 
History.  Accordingly,  he  applied  to  several 
eminent  men,  among  whom  were  John  Jay,  Mr. 
Wilberforce,  and  John  Adams,  for  further  mate- 
rial in  aid  of  his  undertaking ;  and  from  Mr. 
AdamR  he  received  several  letters  of  great  inte- 
rest, which  he  was  able  to  turn  to  good  account. 


226 


HIS  OTBJBR  LABOUB8  IS  AUTHOBSHIP. 


But  the  work  for  which  those  letters  were  soli- 
cited, was  again  unavoidably  postponed,  though 
the  purpose  to  prepare  and  ultimately  issue  it, 
was  still  firmly  adhered  to.  After  his  removal 
to  New  Haven,  he  compiled  a  History  of  the 
American  Revolution,  which  was  published,  of 
which  the  letters  of  Mr.  Adams,  above  referred 
to,  form  a  part.  In  the  Preface  he  says, — *'  The 
Compiler  of  this  work  is  pledged  to  complete  the 
history  of  the  United  States,  begun  by  tbe  late 
venerable  Dr.TrumbuU.  He  intends,  should  his 
life  and  health  be  prolonged,  to  fulfil  his  engage- 
ment in  three  or  four  volumes,  in  the  course  of  as 
many  years.'*  This  was  written  on  the  4th  of 
October,  1824,  less  than  two  3'^ears  before  his 
death.  His  purpose  in  respect  to  the  continua- 
tion of  Trumbull's  History  he  did  not  live  to  ac- 
complish. 

Besides  the  Geographical  and  Historical  works 
referred  to  in  this  chapter  and  the  one  immedi- 
ately preceding,  Dr.  Morse  published  the  follow- 
ing, some  of  which  have  already  been  noticed 
in  connection  with  the  events  that  called  them 
forth : 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  the  Death  of  Richard 


Cary,  Esq...   1790 

A  Thanksjjivinjj  Sermon  at  Charlestown  1795 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  the  death  of  the 

Hon.  Thomiu^  Russell   1796 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  the  Death  of  the 

Hon.  James  Kussell   1798 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  the  National  Fast,,  1798 
A  Sermon  at  Concord  before  the  Freemasons' 

Lodge   1798 


mS  OTHER  LABOURS  IN  AUTHORSHIP.  227 

A  Thank.sjjivinji  Sermon  at  Cliarlestown .  _   1798 

A  Sermon  at  Cliarlestown  on  the  National  F:ist.-  1799 

An  Address  to  the  Students  of  Phillips  Academy, 
Andover   1799 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  the  Death  of  AVash- 
ington     1800 

An  Introductory  Address  at  the  Dedication  of  the 
l^aptist  Meeting-house,  Charlestown   1801 

A  v^ormon  at  Boston  before  the  Massachusetts 
Humane  Societ}"    1801 

A  Sermon  at  Boston  before  the  Ancient  and 

Honourable  Artillery  Company    1803 

A  Sermon  at  Marblehead  at  the  Ordination  of 
Ilezckiah  May    1803 

Tnie  licasons  on  which  the  Election  of  a  Ilollis 
Professor  of  Divinity'  in  Harvard  College  was 
Opposed  at  the  Board  of  Overseers   1805 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  the  Death  of  Mrs. 

Mary  Kussell    1806 

A  Sermon  before  the  Managers  of  the  Boston 
Female  Asylum   _   1807 

A  Sermon  at  Boston  at  the  Ordination  of  Joshua 
Huntington    1808 

A  Sermon  at  Boston  on  the  Anniversary  of  the 
Abolition  of  the  Slave  Trade   1808 

A  Sermon  at  Boston  before  the  Society  for  Propa- 
gating the  Gospel  among  the  Indians  and  others 
in  North  America    1810 

A  Sermon  at  Boston  l)eforc  the  Massachusetts 
Convention  of  Con<jre*rational  Ministers   1812 

A  Sermon  at  Charlestown  on  a  day  of  Fasting 
and  Prayer  in  conseipiencc  of  a  Declaration  of 
War  with  Great  Britain  1812 

An  Appeal  to  the  Public  in  respect  to  the  Revolu- 
tion in  Han'ard  College,  and  the  events  which 
have  followcd.it     1814 

A  Sermon  before  the  Society  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions in  Boston  and  the  vicinity   1815 


228  HIS  OTHEB  LABOUB8  IN  AUTHOBSHIP. 


A  Sermon  at  West  Brookfield  at  the  Ordination 
of  Eliakim  Phelps   1816 

A  Sermon  at  Springfield  before  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions.  .  1821 

Report  to  the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United 
States  on  Indian  Affairs,  with  a  Tour  among 
the  Indians  in  1820   1822 


VI. 


ilis  Labours  in  Coxxectiox  vrrm  tiie  Politics  of 

niS  DAY  AND  OTHER  KiNDRED  SuiWECTS. 

Dr.  Morse,  though  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and 
deeply  sensible  of  his  obligations  as  a  minister, 
was  not  unmindful  of  the  relations  he  sustained 
as  a  citizen,  and  he  thought  it  fitting  that  he 
should  recocnize  those  relations  by  correspond- 
ing acts.  Besides,  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
ministry  fell  into  a  period  of  high  political  excite- 
ment,—  when  great  questions  involving  the 
nation's  weal  or  woe  were  in  the  process  of  being 
settled;  and,  as  he  regarded  these  questions  as 
having  a  vital  bearing  upon  the  religious  interests 
of  the  country,  he  could  not  conscientiously  re- 
main passive  in  respect  to  them.  Accordingly,  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  avow  his  opinions  openly  and 
boldly,  though  at  the  expense  of  incurring  no 
small  degree  of  party  odium.  He  was  an  earnest, 
outspoken  Federalist ;  a  staunch  advocate  for  the 
administrations  of  Washington  and  John  Adams, 
and  in  full  sympathy  with  the  views  of  Jay  and 
Hamilton.  The  first  important  political  measure 
mentioned  in  his  correspondence,  id  the  well 
known  Treaty  with  Great  Britain,  known  as 
Jay's  Treaty,  by  which  points  of  dispute,  threaten- 
ing war,  were  amicably  adjusted.    The  Treaty, 


230       HIS  LABOUB8  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  POLITICS. 


after  being  discussed  and  adopted  by  the  Senate 
in  secret  session,  was  rati  Bed  by  the  President, 
and  published  as  a  law  early  in  the  summer  of 
1795.  On  the  12th  of  August,  he  writes  to  his 
father  thus  concerning  it: 

"  The  Treaty  which  many — chiefly  Jacobins — do  not  like, 
has  created  much  heat  and  fever  among  us,  without  any  just 
cause.  It  is,  and  I  doubt  not  will  some  months  hence  be 
acknowledged  to  be,  a  blessing  to  our  country,  especially  as  it 
secures  to  us  the  continuance  of  Peace,  which  could  not  have 
been  preserved  on  other  terms.  The  opposers  of  the  Treaty 
have  behaved  as  men  do  when  in  a  violent  passion.  Reason 
and  truth  have  had  little  to  do  in  their  proceedings,  and  the 
thinking  ones  among  them  begin  to  be  ashamed  of  their  conduct. 
Our  dependence  is  on  the  stability  and  good  sense  of  the  yeo- 
manry of  the  land,  who,  I  am  happy  to  learn  from  various 
quarters,  are  disposed  to  confide  in  their  rulers.  In  the  sea- 
ports there  will  alwa^'s  be  mobs  at  the  beck  of  artful  dema- 
gogues." 

Of  this  last  remark  a  practical  illustration  was 
furnished  shortly  after  in  connection  with  his 
own  experience.  On  a  certain  evening  the  effigy 
of  Mr.  Jay  was  burnt  by  a  tumultuous  assemblage 
on  Charlestown  Square ;  and  Dr.  Morse  happened, 
at  the  time,  to  be  at  Judge  Gorham's,  before 
whose  door  the  tragic  farce  was  enacted.  Against 
the  better  judgment  of  his  friends,  but  in  obedi- 
ence to  his  own  patriotic  impulses,  he  went  out 
to  remonstrate  with  the  mob;  but  scarcely  had 
he  made  his  appearance  there,  when  a  blow  on 
the  head  from  a  brickbat  rendered  it  necessary 
that  he  should  be  taken  home.  He  was  not, 
however,  seriously  injured.    One  of  his  friends, 


HIS  LABOURS  IX  CONTfECTION  WITH  POLITICS.  231 


who  called  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  injury, 
inquired  if  his  brain  was  hurt;  to  which  he 
replied, — "  No,  if  I  had  had  any  brains.  I  should 
not  have  been  there." 

In  January,  1798,  he  writes  thus  to  Dr.  Erskine 
of  Edinburgh : 

"  As  the  war  is  likely  to  be  continued  in  Europe,  I  foar  that, 
notwithstanding  the  upright  and  strictly  neutral  conduct  of  our 
Government  towards  the  belligerent  powers,  we  shall  be  forced 
into  it.  The  French  treat  us  shamefully,  and  seem  determined 
cither  to  subject  us  to  their  influence  and  control, — which  they 
never  can  do, — or  to  plunge  us  into  the  war.  They  have  a 
busy,  intriguing  and  unprincipled  party  among  us,  which, 
though  numerous,  is,  I  hope,  diminishing.  They  would  sacri- 
fice freedom,  government,  independence,  all  that  is  dear,  to  serve 
France.  Our  Commissioners  for  Peace  we  have  little  expecta- 
tion will  succeed.  Should  they  be  sent  home  unsuccessful,  I 
see  nothing  but  disgrace  and  war  before  us.  The  policy  of 
France,  from  our  first  connection  with  that  insidious  nation,  is 
now  pretty  fully  understood  among  the  enlightened  and  un- 
prejudiced of  our  citizens,  whom  now  I  think  it  is  impossible 
for  them  to  deceive.  They  can  and  will  disquiet  us  through 
the  influence  of  their  party  in  this  country,  but  I  trust  they 
will  not  be  permitted  to  subvert  our  excellent  Government. 
The  prejudices  of  the  American  people  against  Great  Britain 
are  subsiding,  and  now  is  the  time  to  do  them  away  forever, 
and  to  cement  our  national  union  by  a  just,  upright  and  friendly 
conduct." 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1798,  he  preached  a  Fast 
Sermon,  which  was  printed ;  and,  oh  the  29th  of 
November  following,  a  Thanksgiving  Sermon, 
wliich  was  also  printed.  To  the  latter  there  was 
an  elaborate  Appendix,  in  illustration  of  some 
parts  of  the  Discourse,  "  exhibiting  proofs  of  th,e 
early  existence,  progress  and  deleterious  efifects 


232       HIS  IiABOUBS  IS  CONNECTION  WITH  POLITICS. 


of  French  intrigue  and  influence  in  the  United 
States."  The  Discourse,  including  the  Appen- 
dix, was  written  with  great  ability  and  char- 
acteristic fervour,  and  drew  forth  many  testimo- 
nies of  high  approbation  from  distinguished  men, 
of  which  tlie  following  are  a  specimen. 

General  Washington,  in  a  letter  dated  Mount 
Vernon,  February  28,  1799,  writes  thus: 

"The  letter  with  which  you  were  pleased  to  favour  me, 
dated  the  1st  instaut,  accompanying  your  Thanksgiving  Ser- 
mon, came  duly  to  hand.  For  the  latter  I  pray  you  to  accept 
my  thanks.  I  have  read  it  and  the  Appendix  with  pleasure^ 
and  wish  the  latter  at  least  could  meet  a  more  general  circula- 
tion  than  it  probably  will  have  ;  as  it  contains  important  iufor- 
mation  as  little  known  out  of  a  small  circle  as  the  dissemina- 
tion  of  it  would  be  useful,  if  spread  through  the  community." 

The  Hon.  Dwight  Foster,  United  States  Sena- 
tor from  Massachusetts,  writes  thus  from  Phila- 
delphia on  the  Gth  of  February : 

"  The  valuable  information  the  Discourse  contains  will  be  of 
great  service  in  the  present  situation  of  affairs  in  the  United 
States.  Some  gentlemen  here  are  desirous  to  have  it  more 
generally  circulated.  Members  of  Congress  from  the  South 
wish  for  copies  to  send  to  their  constituents.  A  large  number 
could  be  disposed  of  immediately  in  Virginia  and  elsewhere,  if 
sent  to  this  place." 

The  Hon.  Robert  Goodloe  Harper,  of  Mary- 
land, at  that  time  the  Federal  leader  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  says,  in  a  letter  dated  the 
14th  of  February: 

.  *'  The  Appendix  contains  much  carious  and  important  matter, 
fully  confirming  the  doctrines  long  contended  for  by  the  sup- 


mS  LABOURS  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  POLITICS.  233 


porters  of  the  American  Government,  and  highly  worthy  of 
attention  at  all  times,  and  especially  at  the  present.  Having 
been  requested  to  collect  the  most  valuable  tracts  on  American 
affairs  for  the  use  of  a  gentleman  high  in  office  in  England, — I 
mean  Sir  William  Scott,  Judge  of  the  Admiralty,  I  have  taken 
the  liberty  of  adding  yours  to  the  number.  I  intend  also  to 
prevail  on  our  printers  to  republish  it." 

The  Sermon  j^ained  a  wide  circulation.  Though 
thirteen  hundred  copies  were  originally  printed, 
a  second  edition  was  issued  in  the  course  of  a  few 
months ;  and,  through  the  generous  contrihution 
of  several  gentlemen  in  Boston,  a  copy  was  sent 
gratuitously  to  every  clergyman  in  Massachu- 
setts. Mr.  John  Lang,  the  well  known  editor 
of  the  New  York  Gazette,  pronounced  the  Dis- 
course the  best  he  had  met  w^ith  on  the  subject 
of  our  controversy  with  France,  and  expressed 
tlie  opinion  that  the  information  contained  in  the 
notes  w*as  deserving  of  the  widest  circulation  — 
he  requested,  therefore,  that  he  miglit  be  per- 
mitted to  republish  the  entire  pamphlet  in  his 
paper.  To  this  Dr.  Morse  consented,  and,  accord- 
ingly, the  Sermon,  with  the  Appendix,  appeared 
in  six  successive  numbers. 

But  the  political  and  religious  bearings  of  the 
question  of  French  influence  were  so  intertwined 
that  it  was  not  easy  to  separate  them ;  and,  on 
both  grounds,  he  resisted  that  influence  with  all 
the  energy  of  bis  nature.  In  his  printed  Thanks- 
giving Sermon  of  '95,  he  condemns  the  French 
Revolution  as  at  once  the  offspring  of  Infidelity 
and  the  means  of  its  growth.    In  January,  1797, 


234      HIS  I.ABOURS  IN  OOXNECTIOX  WrTH  POLITICS. 


Dr.  Erskine,  of  Edinburgh,  informed  him  of  an 
organized  effort  in  Europe  for  the  extirpation  of 
Christianity.    He  says : 

"  A  Society  was  created  first  under  the  name  of  the  '  Illu- 
minati ; '  and,  when  they  had  been  prohibited  under  that  name, 
they  found  means,  under  the  name  of  the  German  Union,  to 
get  control  of  the  greater  part  of  the  literary  journals,  periodi- 
cal publications,  circulating  libraries,  and  reading  clubs,  nay, 
even  of  printers  and  booksellers  through  Germany,  so  as  to 
prevent,  as  much  as  possible,  the  sale  and  spread  of  pieces  of 
any  ability,  in  which  the  doctrines  of  true  Christianity  were 
defemled."  lie  adds,' — "Full  accounts  of  these  artifices  have 
been  published  in  the  last  ten  j-eurs  of  '  The  latest  Facts  in 
regard  to  Keligion,' — a  work  which,  for  nineteen  years,  has 
been  carried  on  by  Kiiester,  a  worthy  Professor  at  Giessen, 
from  which  and  other  materials  a  learned  gentleman  here  is 
preparing  an  account  of  these  manoeuvres." 

Tlie  work  here  referred  to  was  by  Professor 
Robison  of  Edinburgh,  and  was  entitled  "Proofs 
of  a  Conspiracy  against  all  the  Religions  and 
Governments  of  Europe,"  carried  on  in  the  secret 
meetings  of  Freemasons,  Illuminati,  and  Reading 
Societies,  collected  from  good  authorities.  It  was 
first  published  in  Scotland  in  the  fall  of  1797, 
and  such  was  the  interest  which  it  awakened 
that  the  whole  of  the  first  edition  was  sold  within 
a  few  da3'^s.  It  was  sent  immediately  to  this 
country,  and  published  almost  simultaneously  in 
New  York  and  Philadelphia.  The  work  came 
into  Dr.  Morse's  hands  first  in  April,  1798,  and 
he  read  it  with  great  eagerness  and  interest.  In 
the  Fast  Sermon  which  he  preached  and  pub- 
lished in  May  following,  he  says: 


HIS  L^UIOURS  IN  CONNECTION  VrnH  POLITICS.  235 

"  There  are  to6  many  evidences  that  this  order  (of  Illaminati) 
has  had  its  branches  established  in  some  form  or  other,  and  its 
emissaries  secretly  at  work  in  this  country  for  several  years- 
past.  From  their  private  papers  which  have  been  discovered 
and  are  now  published,  it  appears  that,  as  early  as  178G, 
they  had  several  Societies  in  America.  And  it  is  well  known 
that  some  men,  high  in  office,  have  expressed  sentiments  accor- 
dant to  the  principles  and  views  of  this  Society," 

Some  of  the  Society  of  Freemasons  found 
fault  with  his  commendatory  remarks  upon  the 
book,  but,  on  becoming  satisfied  that  they  were 
not  implicated  in  the  charge  of  conspiracy,  they 
withdrew  their  censure  as  unfounded.  The  very 
next  month  he  preached  before  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Massachusetts  a  Sermon  which  was  printed 
by  their  request;  and  hy  afterwards  received 
from  them  more  than  one  token  of  good-will. 
.  The  book  was  denounced  hf  many  as  contain- 
ing charges  that  had  no  foundation  except  in  the 
illiberal  and  enthusiastic  brain  that  generated 
them ;  and  those  who  accepted  and  recommended 
it  were  stigmatized  as  the  victims  of  cherished 
prejudice  or  a  pitiable  credulity.  Dr.  Morse  felt 
that  he  ow^ed  to  himself  and  the  public  a  vindi- 
cation of  his  course  in  respect  to  the  matter; 
and,  accordingly,  in  the  summer  of  1798,  he 
wrote  and  published  in  the  Massachusetts  Mer- 
cury, a  Boston  newspaper,  half  a  dozen  articles, 
in  which  he  presented  the  case  with  great  clear- 
ness and  fulness.  In  the  fourth  number  he  says : 

"  I  have  the  best  authority  to  support  me  in  the  assertion  that 
not  a  few  of  the  most  distinguished,  respectable  and  worthy 
men  among  us,  in  civil  as  well  as  ecclef>iastical  life,  have  given 


236     ms  LABOURS  in  c»xnectiox  with  politics. 


credit  and  approbation  to  the  book  in  question,  in  regard  to 
those  parts  of  it,  and  for  the  purposes  for  which  I  have  recom- 
mended it.  Among  these  Professor  Tappan  and  President 
Dwight  have  published  their  sentiments." 

_  On  the  25th  of  April,  1799,  he  preached 
another  Fast  Sermon,  which  was  also  printed,  in 
which  he  dwells  at  length  upon  some  of  the  ap- 
palling features  of  the  times.  Particularly  he 
discourses  at  large  upon  the  Secret  Societies  in 
the  United  States,  the  number  of  which  he  had 
ascertained  to  be  fourteen;  and  in  a  Note  he 
copies  the  Constitution,  their  insignia,  symbols, 
ciphers,  &c.,  marks  their  agency  in  promoting 
political  dissensions  in  the  land,  and  charges  that 
among  the  miscliiefs  plotted  is  the  destruction  of 
the  Clerg3^  The  apprehensions  which  he  felt 
were  shared  by  many  eminent  men,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe. 

To  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nisbet,  President  of  Dickinson 
College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  he  writes  under  date  of 
April  4,  1800: 

"  I  feel  myself  flattered,  consoled  and  supported  by  your 
approbation  of  my  political  creed,  and  by  your  opinion  that  it 
is  sufficiently  established  by  my  Appendices.  These  publica- 
tions have  subjected  me  to  much  abuse  from  the  Jacobins, 
which,  however,  does  not  make  me  uneasy,  as  I  sufi*er  in  a  good 
cause  aud  in  good  company." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  him  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gordon,  under 
date  of  May  8,  1799  :        '  . 

"  It  is  indeed  an  age  of  Revolutions  in  which  our  lot  is  cast. 
My  quietus  is,  Tlie  Lord  reignelh  ;  lei  Ihe  earth  rejoice.   I  con- 


HIS  LABOURS  IN  CX)NXECnON  AnXH  POLITICS.  237 


sole  myself  with  this, — that  the  several  Powers  and  Governments 
at  war  are  permitted  agents  for  the  accomplishment  of  th6 
Divine  purpose.  The  several  Powers  of  Europe,  laid  in  the 
balance,  one  against  another,  may  be  nearly  equally  corrupt, 
though  the  individuals  of  one  may  exceed  those  of  others.  As 
to  the  great  body  of  the  French,  I  consider  them  as  an  unprin- 
cipled set  of  mortals,  who  think  nothing  about  moral  evil,  or  9 
who,  if  they  do,  think  they  may  do  evil,  if  good  can  come  of  it. 
I  have  known  my  friend  Gerry,  from  an  early  period  of  the 
American  struggle  for  liberty,  and  have  a  good  opinion  both  of 
his  abilities  and  his  integrity.  I  am  glad  to  find  that  the  public 
opinion  respecting  him  has  changed  considerably  for  the  better. 
I  am  also  glad  that  the  insidious  designs  of  the  French  and 
their  party  in  your  country  are  daily  coming  to  light.  I  wish 
the  American  Government  wisdom  to  prevent  internal  disturb- 
ances ;  but  a  free  discussion  of  public  measures  must  be  al- 
lowed, or  freedom  will  go  into  a  rapid  decline.  As  there  are  a 
number  of  Societies  of  Illurainces  in  your  country,  I  am  glad 
you  have  received  indubitable  proofs  of  their  existence,  and  a 
printed  list  of  the  names  of  the  officers  and  members  of  them, 
signed  officially  in  the  hand-writing  of  their  Secretary.  The 
communication  would  seem  to  indicate  a  conviction  that  there 
is  nothing  wrong  among  them,  but  docs  not  remove  my  suspi- 
cion, especially  as  it  is  composed  partly  of  Americans,  but 
chiefly  of  French  emigrants,  and  some  from  five  or  six  different 
European  nations." 

Mr.  Jay  writes  to  him,  under  date  of  30th  of 
January,  1799 : 

"  Infidelity  has  become  a  political  engine,  alarming  both  by 
the  force  and  the  extent  of  its  operations.  It  is  doubtless  per- 
mitted to  be  used  for  wise  ends,  though  we  do  not  clearly 
discern  them.  When  those  ends  are  accomplished,  it  will  i)c 
laid  aside.  Much  ill  use  has  been  and  will  yet  be  made  of 
Secret  Societies.  I  think  with  you  that  they  should  not  be 
encouraged,  and  that  the  most  virtuous  and  innocent  among 
them  would  do  well  to  concur  in  their  suspension  for  the 
present." 


238      HIS  LABOUBS  IS  OONNECmON  WITH  POLITICS. 

Three  moDths  later  he  writes  thus : 

"  The  facta  which  you  have  given  to  the  public,  relative 
to  the  conduct  of  France  in  our  Revolution,  as  well  as  your 
strictures  on  the  design  and  intrigues  of  the  llluminees,  have, 
to  a  certain  extent,  been  useful  —  they  have  made  proper 
impressions  on  many  sedate  and  candid  men,  but  I  suspect  they 
^  have  detached  very  few  of  the  disciplined  adherents  of  the 
party." 

In  July,  1799,  Professor  Ebeling  wrote  him  a 
letter  condemning  the  "  Proofs  of  Conspiracy — 
a  fact  which  President  Dwight  accounted  for  on 
the  ground  that  Ebeling's  tendencies  were  far 
from  being  in  an  evangelic.il  direction.  Some 
ill-disposed  person,  who  overheard  him  read  this 
letter,  carried  a  report  of  it  to  Hartford,  which 
was  printed  in  the  American  Mercury  of  the  26th 
of  September,  as  the  substance  of  the  letter  itself, 
with  abusive  representations  of  the  lleverend 
gentlemen  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Dr.  Morse 
publicly  pronounced  the  letter,  as  thus  given,  a 
spurious  one,  and  his  assertion  was  supported  by 
the  published  certificate  of  Professors  Tappan 
and  Pearson  of  Harvard  College,  to  whom  Pro- 
fessor Ebeling's  letter  had  been  read,  on  its 
reception,  at  the  writer's  request. 

A  fortnight  later  (9th  of  October)  there  ap- 
peared in  the  (Worcester)  Massachusetts  Spy  an 
anonymous  letter,  with  this  introduction:  "A 
gentleman  in  this  State,  who  has  a  literary  cor- 
respondent in  Germany,  has  lately  received  from 
him  the  following  letter  on  the  subject  of  Robi- 
son's  Book  of  Illuminati,  &c.    As  that  book  has 


HIS  LABOURS  IN  CONNECTION  WIXH  POLITICS.  239 


been  so  much  the  subject  of  conversation,  the 
letter  may  be  interesting  to  some  of  our  readers.'* 
As  it  seems  to  have  been  doubted  bj  some 
whether  Ebeling  was  really  the  author  of  this 
letter,  a  copy  of  it  was  sent  to  him  with  the 
inquiry  whether  he  wrote  it,  and  he  promptly 
acknowledged  its  authorship. 

Early  in  1801,  a  writer  in  the  National  Intel- 
ligencer, assuming  that  this  letter  was  the  one 
addressed  to  Dr.  Morse,  boldly  charges  him  with 
falsehood,  appealing  for  proof  to  the  above  testi- 
mony of  Professor  Ebeling.  Meanwhile,  the 
person,  to  Avhom  the  authenticated  letter  was 
addressed,  remained  unknown.  The  secret,  how- 
ever, was  soon  after  revealed  through  the  fol- 
lowing correspondence  : 

"CiiARLESTOWX,  20  February,  1801. 
"Reverend  Sir:  You  will  have  observed  that  the  long 
letter  (now  ascertained  to  have  been  from  Professor  labeling) 
which  appeared  in  the  Massachusetts  Spy  of  the  9th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1799,  from  the  uncertainty  in  respect  to  the  name  of  its 
author,  and  of  the  person  in  this  State  to  whom  it  was  addressed, 
has  been  publicly  but  erroneously  asserted  to  be  J'rnfrHsor 
Ebeling^  H  h  Her  to  me.  This  rendered  it  necessary  forme  at  the 
time  to  make  a  public  denial  of  it ;  which,  however,  seems  not 
to  have  been  universally  credited.  The  consequence  has  been 
a  public  formal  charge  of  falsehood  upon  me,  which  has  been 
circulated  extensively  in  several  of  our  newspapers,  and  has 
occasioned  me  and  my  friends  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  It  would  be 
very  easy  for  the  person  who  received  and  who  holds  the  original 
of  this  letter,  and  who  handed  it  to  the  printer,  to  satisfy  the 
public,  and  to  put  an  end  to  this  unpleasant  business ;  and  I 
clearly  think  it  his  duty  to  do  it  under  present  circumstances. 

Now,  Sir,  it  has  been,  within  a  few  days,  intimated  to  a 
friend  of  mine,  bj  Mr.  Benjamin  Austin  Jr.,  of  Boston,  that 


240       HIS  LABOURS  IN  OONXECTIOX  WITH  POLITICS. 

this  much  talked  of  letter  was  addressed  to  you  by  Professor 
Ebeling.  Where  he  obtained  his  information,  and  whether  it 
be  correct  or  not,  I  am  unable  to  say.  As  it  is  a  matter  in 
which  my  character  is  implicated,  I  have  to  request  you  to 
inform  me,  by  return  of  mail,  whether  or  not  the  letter  afore- 
said, published  in  the  Massachusetts  Spy  of  9th  of  October, 
1799,  was  in  fact  written  to  you  by  Professor  Ebeling,  and 
whether  or  not  you  handed  it  to  the  printer,  for  publication. 
Your  speedy  answer  will  much  oblige 

"  Rev.  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servauf, 

"J.  MORSE." 

To  this  communication  he  received  the  follow- 
ing answer : 

"Salem,  21  February,  1801. 
"  Rev.  Doctor  :  The  letter  from  Professor  Ebeling,  as  pub- 
lished in  the  Massachusetts  Spy  of  October,  1799,  was  addressed 
to  me,  and  printed  at  my  request. 

"  AVILLIAM  BENTLEY." 
"To  Rev.  Jedidiah  3Iorse,  D.  D." 

Thus  was  at  lenj^th  solved  the  mystery  which 
had  haflled  all  efforts  at  explanation  for  sixteen 
months.  But  meanwhile  he  had  been  subjected 
to  the  offensive  imputation  of  having  printed  in 
the  newspaper  a  letter  hastily  written  by  Pro- 
fessor Ebeling,  and  by  no  means  intended  for 
publication.  He  had  also  been  compelled  to  vin- 
dicate himself  publicly  against  the  charge  of 
falsehood.  This  he  did  in  a  series  of  five  articles 
in  the  Boston  Independent  Chronicle,  commen- 
cing 16th  of  February,  1801.  It  was  a  gratify- 
ing circumstance  that,  during  this  unpleasant 
controversy,  his  amicable  relations  with  Professor 
Ebeling  remained  unimpaired. 


niS  LABOURS  IN  CONNECTION  WITn  POLITICS.  241 


Dr.  Morse  preached  a  Sermon  commemorative 
of  Washington  on  the  31st  of  December,  1799, 
which,  together  with  a  Biographical  sketch  from 
his  pen  and  the  Farewell  Address  of  the  Father 
of  his  country,  was  printed,  at  the  expense  of 
the  town,  in  a  pamphlet  of  a  hundred  and  forty- 
six  pages,  octavo.  Each  family  in  the  town  was 
furnished  with  a  copy. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 
Dr.  Morse  engaged  actively  in  the  establishment 
of  a  new  paper,  in  the  Federal  interest,  in 
Boston, — the  New  England  PaHadium.  Dr. 
Dwight  writes  him,  7  November,  1800: 

"  Mr.  Button  will  undertake  the  business  (of  Editor)  on  the 
terms  proposed.  ♦  ♦  ♦  j  have  conversed  with  Lieutenant 
Governor  J.  Smith,  Messrs.  Daggett,  J.  C.  Smith,  Goodrich 
and  Theodore  Dwight,  for  the  express  purpose  of  contributing 
as  literary  men.  All  will  heartily  unite  in  the  design,  and  will 
furnish  their  quota,  so  far  as  their  business  will  permit.  I  have 
conversed  with  many  other  gentlemen,  all  of  whom  think  it  of 
high  importance  to  our  well-being,  and  will  lend  it  their  whole 
countenance  and  support.  I  have  applied  to  no  person  for  aid 
who  has  not  promised  it ;  and  Mr.  Goodrich  and  my  brother 
told  me  that,  without  any  doubt,  their  friends  in  Hartford  will 
aid  the  detsign  by  their  contributions.  Mr.  Goodwin  (Editor 
of  the  Courant)  told  me,  he  and  his  partner  will  aid  the  sub- 
scription heartily  and  republish  from  the  paper  with  the  utmost 
pleasure." 

Mr.  Oliver  Wolcott  writes  from  Washington, 
under  date  of  28th  of  November : 

I  will  with  pleasure  contribute  all  in  my  power  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Palladium,  and  doubt  not  but  the  officers  of  Govern- 
ment will  make  it  the  medium  of  their  communications  with 
the  people." 

21 


242      HIS  LABOUBS  IN  OONKECTION  WITH  FOUTICS. 

In  the  printed  proposals,  the  intention  of  the 
paper  is  declared  to  be  "  to  support  the  Govern- 
ment, morals,  religion  and  state  of  society  in  our 
country  in  general,  and  particularly  the  institu- 
tions and  state  of  society  in  New  England;  to 
defend  these  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other 
to  expose  Jacobinism  in  every  form,  both  of 
principle  and  practice,  both  of  philosophism  and 
of  licentiousness." 

To  facilitate  the  enterprise,  the  editors  of  the 
Mercury,  a  paper  already  existing,  were  induced 
to  merge  their  paper  in  the  new  one.  The  first 
Number  was  issued  on  the  2d  of  January,  1801, 
under  the  title, — "  The  Mercury  and  New  Eng- 
land Palladium.'* 

In  June,  3803,  Dr.  Morse  preached  the  Annual 
Sermon  before  the  Ancient  and  Honourable  Ar- 
tillery Company  in  Boston,  which  was  published. 
It  consists  of  a  comprehensive  and  eloquent  sketch 
of  New  England  History,  including  an  account 
of  the  origin,  object  and  services  of  the  Artillery 
company,  and  followed  by  an  earnest  enforce- 
ment of  the  obligations  resting  upon  the  descend- 
ants of  such  worthy  ancestors.  In  a  letter  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman,  written  the  day  after  the 
Sermon  was  preached,  he  says : 

"  Yesterday  I  relieved  myself  of  considerable  anxiety.  I 
have  endeavoured  to  discharge  my  duty.  I  leave  the  result. 
When  I  tell  you  that  I  preached  a  discourse  seventy-two  min- 
utes long,  you  will  suppose  that  it  must  at  lea^t  have  cost  me 
some  labour  to  correct  it.  It  is  over  and  I  am  glad.  Now  for 
the  Ordination  Sermon  week  after  next " — (preached  at  the 


HIS  LABOUKS  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  POLITICS.  243 


Ordination  of  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  May,  and  printed) — "  then  I 
shall  be  worn  down  sufficiently  for  a  journey." 

Dr.  Morse  retained  through  life  a  deep  interest 
in  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  civil  \vell  being 
of  the  country.  The  War  with  Great  Britain  of 
1812—15  he  regarded  as  unjustifiable  and  unneces- 
sary, and  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  out  his  inind 
in  relation  to  it,  both  in  private  and  in  public. 
He,  however,  never  counselled  extreme  mea- 
sures, and  had  no  sympathy  with  any  thing  like 
conspiracy  or  revolt.  Indeed,  his  views  of  that 
scene  of  national  agitation  and  turmoil  were  in 
substantial  harmony  with  those  of  much  the 
larger  portion  of  the  Congregational  clergy  of 
New  England.  From  the  foundation  of  the  Go- 
vernment his  political  proclivities  were  always 
in  the  same  direction. 


vn. 

His  Domestic  and  Social  Relations. 

Dr.  Morse  was  eminently  favoured  in  respect 
to  his  parentage  and  early  training.  Both  of  his 
parents  were  persons  of  more  than  ordinary  in- 
telligence, and  of  high  moral  and  Christian 
character,  and  the  estimation  in  which  his  father 
was  held  was  suflficiently  indicated  by  the  vari- 
ous posts  of  honour  and  responsibility  assigned 
to  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  From  his  earli- 
est childhood  there  seems  to  have  existed,  be- 
tween the  father  and  the  son,  an  unusually  affec- 
tionate intimacy,  marked  by  the  most  thought- 
ful and  loving  care  on  the  one  side,  and  the  most 
reverent,  confiding  and  obedient  spirit  on  the 
other.  From  the  son's  earliest  intellectual  de- 
velopments, through  the  whole  course  of  his 
education,  and  a  large  part  of  his  subsequent 
protracted  career  of  honourable  usefulness,  the 
father  and  the  son  were  constantly  kept  informed 
of  each  other's  circumstances,  and  were  not  only 
sharers  but  helpers  of  one  another's  joy.  It 
may  be  doubted  whether  a  domestic  atmosphere 
could  be  found,  more  favourable  to  the  healthful 
growth  of  both  the  mind  and  the  heart,  than 
that  in  which  Jedidiah  Morse  passed  his  earliest 


BIS  IX>M£STIC  AND  SOCIAL  RELATIONS.  245 


years,  and  received  the  impulse  that  gave  direc- 
tion to  his  whole  life. 

In  due  time,  this  man,  so  highly  favoured  in 
respect  to  early  domestic  influences,  came  to 
have  a  family  of  his  own.  The  lady  to  whom 
he  was  married  was  connected  with  one  of  the 
most  honoured  families  of  New  Jersey,  being 
the  granddaughter  of  the  venerable  President 
Finley,  of  Princeton  College.  Her  personal 
qualities  were  every  way  worthy  of  her  honour- 
able descent.  With  a  mind  naturally  quick  and 
versatile,  and  withal  subjected  to  the  best  cul- 
ture of  the  day,  she  united  a  most  kindly  and 
genial  spirit,  and  great  simplicity  and  graceful- 
ness of  manners — all  under  the  control  of  a  liv- 
ing and  earnest  piety.  Her  naturally  calm  and 
considerate  turn  was  a  felicitous  offset  to  the 
more  earnest  and  impulsive  habit  of  her  husband  ^ 
and  no  doubt  this  very  diflerence  of  moral  con- 
stitution contributed  to  their  mutual  happiness 
and  usefulness.  She  presided  over  the  affairs  of 
her  household  with  great  dignity  and  efficiency, 
assuming,  in  no  small  degree,  the  labour  and  re- 
sponsibility of  providing  for  their  daily  wants. 
She  was  a  most  watchful  and  vigorous  coadjutor 
with  her  husband  in  carrying  out  the  great  objects 
of  his  ministry ;  and  she  seemed  to  regard  it  as 
her  chief  vocation  to  share  his  burdens,  and  by 
a  silent,  unobtrusive,  and  yet  energetic  influ- 
ence, to  minister  to  his  success.  She  was,  in 
the  best  sense,  a  help  meet  to  him  as  long  as  he 
lived — it  was  her  privilege  to  watch  around  his 


246 


HIS  DOMESTIC  AND  SOCIAL  RELATIONS. 


death  bed ;  and  long  since  have  they  been  re- 
united to  trace  the  gracious  dealings  of  God's 
providence  towards  them  while  they  were  on 
earth,  and  perhaps  also  to  give  thanks  that  their 
united  influence  is  still  to  be  recognized  in 
moulding  the  characters  of  a  second  and  even  a 
third  generation. 

Dr.  Morse,  in  respect  to  his  children,  was  at 
once  one  of  the  most  afflicted,  and  one  of  the 
most  favoured,  of  men.  Of  the  eleven  who  were 
born  to  him,  only  three,  namely,  Samuel  Finley 
Breese,  Sidney  Edwards  and  Richard  Gary,  sur- 
vived the  period  of  infancy ;  but  those  three  have 
lived  to  fulfil  his  best  expectations.  They  are 
all  graduates  of  Yale  College,  all,  in  different 
ways,  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  their  fellow 
men ;  and  all,  as  occasion  ofiers,  ready  to  lay 
their  offerings  of  filial  reverence  and  gratitude 
upon  their  father's  grave.  It  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary to  say  that  considerations  of  delicacy  alone 
prevent  a  more  extended  notice  of  them. 

Dr.  Morse's  social  relations,  outside  the  circle 
of  his  own  kindred,  that  contributed  largely  to 
give  the  complexion  to  his  life,  may  be  said  to 
have  commenced  with  his  admission  to  Yale 
College — even  before  that ;  for  Abiel  Holmes, 
afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr.  Holmes  of  Cambridge, 
who  was,  through  life,  one  of  his  most  steadfast 
friends,  was  a  play-mate  of  his  boyhood.  In  the 
catalogue  of  his  class  in  College  we  find,  beside 
the  name  of  Abiel  Holmes,  the  names  of  Samuel 
Austin,  President  of  the  University  of  Vermont, 


HIS  DOMESTIC  AKD  SOCIAL  KELATIOXS. 


247 


David  Daggett,  ChiefJusticc  of  Connecticut,  John 
Cotton  Smith,  Governor  of  Connecticut,  Richard 
Salter  Storrs,  a  distinguished  clergyman  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  various  others  whom  to  have  known 
was  to  have  esteemed  and  honoured.  With  the 
President  of  the  College,  Dr.  Stiles,  with  whom 
he  was  brought  in  contact,  first  as  a  student,  then 
as  a  graduate,  and  afterwards  as  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  he  was  on  terms  of  much  more  than  com- 
mon friendship,  and  ultimately  in  habits  of  very 
free  and  confidential  intercourse.  At  a  later 
period,  when  he  journeyed  to  the  South,  he  made 
the  acquaintance  of  not  a  few  of  the  most  promi- 
nent men  on  his  route ;  among  whom  were  Dr. 
Rodgers,  of  New  York;  Ebenezor  Hazard,  of  Phila- 
delphia; Dr.  Ramsay  and  Charles  Cotesworth 
Pinckney,  of  Charleston  ;  and  last  and  greatest, 
the  Father  of  his  countrj' ;  and  with  some  of  these 
he  continued  in  the  most  intimate  relations  as 
long  as  he  lived.  His  settlement  in  Charlcstown 
threw  him  into  a  large  circle  of  educated  minds 
and  noble  spirits,  to  which  he  became  at  once 
allied  by  both  his  tastes  and  habits.  In  addition 
to  this,  his  geographical  pursuits,  and  each  of 
the  various  forms  of  public  enterprise  or  Christian 
benevolence  to  which  he  was  devoted,  enlarged 
the  sphere  not  only  of  his  observation  but  of  his 
acquaintance,  .and  in  some  instances  brought  him 
into  communion  with  other  classes  of  minds  than 
those  with  which  he  had  previously  been  familiar. 
With  the  eminent  Professors  of  all  of  our  then 
existing  Theological  Seminaries,  and  most  of  our 


248 


HIS  DOMESnO  AND  SOCIAL  RELATIONS. 


Colleges,  especially  with  President  Dwight,  and 
with  nearly  all  the  more  distinguished  Presby- 
terian and  Congregational  clergymen  throughout 
the  land,  he  was  more  or  less  acquainted,  and 
not  a  few  of  them  were  among  his  intimate  friends. 
So  also  his  acquaintance  included  a  large  portion 
of  those  who  were  most  prominent  in  civil  life ; 
with  many  of  whom  he  co-operated  in  sustaining 
and  earr^'ing  forward  objects  of  common  interest. 
And  there  were  those  who  knew  and  honoured 
him  scattered  all  over  the  world — some  of  the 
most  illustrious  British  names,  both  in  Church 
and  in  State,  were  of  the  number — and  there 
remains  a  written  record  to  show  that  in  their 
intercourse  with  him  they  recognized  the  pre- 
sence of  a  master-spirit.  His  naturally  genial 
and  earnest  temperament  drew  him  near  to  the 
hearts  of  his  friends,  while  his  versatile  and  well 
stored  mind,  and  his  facility  at  applying  himself 
successfully  to  any  praise-worthy  object,  led 
multitudes  to  seek  the  privilege  and  the  honour 
of  his  acquaintance. 

It  is  not  to  be  concealed  that  the  attitude 
which  Dr.  Morse  felt  himself  called  upon  to 
assume  in  regard  to  the  prevailing  religious 
tendencies  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived, 
affected  materially  his  relations,  not  only  with  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  ministers,  but  with 
private  members  of  the  Church,  and  many  who 
had  no  connection  with  it.  There  were  many 
things  not  only  spoken  but  written  that  be- 
tokened aversion,  and  even  positive  alienation ; 


raS  DOMESTIC  AND  SCKIAL  RELATIONS.  249 


but  this  is  easily  accounted  for  by  a  reference  to 
the  principles  of  human  nature,  and  the  para- 
mount importance  that  attaches  itself  to  men's 
religious  convictions.  Most  of  the  generation 
which  had  to  encounter  him  as  an  adversary  to 
their  theological  views  have  passed  away;  but 
the  graphic  and  beautiful  letter  of  personal  recol- 
lections from  Miss  Lucy  Osgood,  w^hich  will  be 
found  farther  on  in  this  volume,  may  be  accepted 
as  evidence  that  some  at  least  who  did  not  sym- 
pathize with  Dr.  Morse's  religious  views,  were 
still  ready  to  testify  their  veneration  for  his 
character. 


VIII. 


His  Correspondence. 

Perhaps  nothing  in  connection  with  Dr. 
Morse's  eventful  life  was  more  remarkable  than 
his  Correspondence.  It  covered  a  most  inter- 
esting period,  both  civil  and  religious,  in  the 
history  of  our  country ;  ranging  from  the  close 
of  the  Revolution  to  the  close  of  the  first  quar- 
ter of  the  present  century.  During  this  time 
various  changes — some  of  them  of  momentous 
bearing — had  occurred  in  our  political  condi- 
tion ;  many  difficult  questions  pertaining  to  the 
public  weal  had  been  earnestly  discussed  and 
finally  settled  ;  and  more  than  once  had  dark 
clouds  settled  over  the  nation  that  seemed  to 
portend  approaching  ruin,  though,  through  the 
interposition  of  Divine  Providence,  the  ruin 
was  always  averted.  Within  the  same  time 
had  the  Church  been  aroused  to  the  prosecution 
of  her  mission  in  evangelizing  the  Avorld — the 
great  missionary  enterprise  existed  at  first  only 
as  a  glorious  conception,  then  it  began  to  take 
on  a  palpable  and  practical  form ;  and  for  years 
before  the  subject  of  this  Memoir  had  finished 
his  earthly  course,  it  was  moving  forward  with 
a  power  and  a  grandeur,  which  constituted  a 


mS  OORRESPOXDEXCE. 


251 


certain  pledge  of  its  final  triumph.  As  Dr. 
Morse  was  prominently  identified  with  all 
these  great  objects  and  interests,  so  he  was  in 
correspondence  with  nearly  all  those  who  had 
most  to  do  in  sustaining  and  directing  them. 
There  was  scarcely  a  man  of  note,  either  in 
Church  or  State,  whose  religious  or  political 
sympathies  were  in  harmony  Avith  his  own, 
with  whom  he  did  not  have  occasional  commu- 
nications, and,  in  many  instances,  they  kept  up 
a  constant  and  vigorous  correspondence. 

Of  the  many  distinguished  men  whose  names 
are  found  on  the  list  of  his  correspondents,  a 
few  only  can  be  mentioned.  Among  his  cleri- 
cal correspondents  were  Drs.  Stiles  and  Dwight, 
Presidents  of  Yale  College  ;  Dr.  McKecn,  Presi- 
dent of  Bowdoin  College ;  Dr.  Nott,  President 
of  Union  College  ;  Dr.  Davis,  President  of  Mid- 
dlebury  College ;  Dr.  Austin,  President  of  the 
University  of  Vermont ;  Drs.  Smith  and  Green, 
Presidents  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey ;  Dr. 
Nisbet,  President  of  Dickinson  (Jollege;  Drs. 
Pearson,  Griffin,  Woods  and  Rev.  Moses  Stuart, 
Professors  in  the  Andover  Theological  Semin- 
ary ;  Drs.  Miller  and  Alexander,  Professors  in 
the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary ;  Dr.  Hem- 
mcnway,  of  Wells,  Me. ;  Dr.  Buckminster,  of 
Portsmouth,  N.  H. ;  Drs.  Belknap,  Thacher  and 
Stillman,  of  Boston ;  Dr.  Osgood,  of  Medford ; 
Dr.  Spring,  of  Newburyport;  Dr.  Parish,  of 
Byfield;  Dr.  Emmons,  of  Franklin;  Dr. 
Cutler,  of  Hamilton;  Dr.  Lathrop,  of  West 


252 


HIS  CORRESPONDENCE. 


Springfield ;  Dr.  Worcester,  of  Salem,  Mass. ; 
Dr.  Trumbull,  of  North  Haven,  and  Dr.  Backus, 
of  Somers,  Conn. ;  Drs.  Rodgers,  Livingston, 
Mason,  Abeel,  Romeyn,  Linn  and  McKnight, 
of  the  city  of  New  York ;  Dr.  McWhorter,  of 
Newark,  N.  J.;  Dr.  Hall,  of  Iredell  County,  N. 
C. ;  Drs.  Keith,  Flinn  and  Hollingshead,  of 
Charleston,  S.  C. ;  Dr.  Kollock,  of  Savannah, 
Ga. ;  and  Dr.  Blackburn,  whose  residence  was 
chiefly  in  Tennessee.  Among  those  of  his  cor- 
respondents, who  had  an  honoured  name  in 
other  departments  of  public  usefulness,  were 
the  first  four  Presidents  of  the  United  States ; 
Benjamin  Rush,  Signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence;  Alexander  Hamilton;  Fisher 
Ames ;  Elias  Boudinot,  President  of  the  old 
Congress ;  Oliver  Wolcott  and  Samuel  Dexter, 
Secretaries  of  the  Treasury;  Timothy  Pick- 
ering, Secretary  of  AVar  ;  Robert  Goodloe 
Harper,  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  and  Na- 
thaniel Macon,  Members  of  the  United  States 
Senate ;  William  Plumer,  Governor  of  New 
Hampshire ;  Samuel  Phillips,  Lt.  Governor  of 
Massachusetts ;  John  Cotton  Smith  and  John 
Treadwell,  Governors  of  Connecticut ;  James 
Kent,  Chancellor  of  New  York,  and  H.  AV. 
Desaussure,  Chancellor  of  South  Carolina ; 
Richard  Cranch,  Francis  Dana,  Dwight  Fos- 
ter, John  Lowell  and  Isaac  Parker,  Judges 
in  Massachusetts;  Josiah  Quincy,  distinguished 
Statesman  and  President  of  Harvard  College ; 
David  Ramsay,  the  Historian;  Nicholas  Pike, 


HIS  OORRESrOXDENCE. 


253 


the  Mathematician ;  Noah  Webster,  the  Lexi- 
cographer;  John  Trumbull,  the  Poet;  and 
John  C.  Calhoun,  South  Carolina's  most  cher- 
ished son.  Among  his  distinguished  corres- 
pondents abroad  were  Professor  Ebcling,  the 
celebrated  Geographer  of  Hamburg ;  Dr.  John 
Erskine  and  Professor  Robinson  (author  of 
the  celebrated  work  entitled  **  Proofs  of  a 
Conspiracy,"  &c.),  of  Edinburgh ;  Dr.  Ward- 
law,  of  Glasgow  ;  Drs.  Priestley,  Price,  Rippon, 
Lettsora  (M.  D.),  of  London ;  William  Cobbett, 
the  celebrated  Zachary  Macaulay,  and  the  yet 
more  celebrated  William  Wilberforce.  With 
some  of  them  his  correspondence  was  only 
casual  and  occasional ;  while,  with  not  a  small 
portion  of  them,  it  was  continued,  without 
interruption,  through  many  successive  years. 

In  looking  over  this  vast  collection  of  let- 
ters, the  first  impression  that  one  receives  is 
of  the  wonderful  industry  and  activity  of  the 
person  to  whom  they  were  addressed.  Each 
of  these  letters,  as  a  general  rule,  was  either 
an  answer  to  one  that  he  had  previously  writ- 
ten, or  else  it  drew  an  answer  from  him;  and 
hence  the  whole  mass  becomes  a  legitimate 
measure  of  what  he  himself  accomplished  in 
this  department  of  labour.  But  not  only  must 
there  have  been  a  vast  expenditure  of  time  and 
effort  in  maintaining  such  a  correspondence, 
but  the  correspondence  itself  was  only  an 
auxiliary  to  the  accomplishment  of  higher 
ends — it  was  one  of  the  means  by  which  his 
22 


254 


HIS  CORRESPONDENCE. 


own  wakeful  and  energetic  spirit  was  penetrat- 
ing into  the  various  departments  of  human 
activity,  and  making  itself  felt  in  the  most 
practical  and  honourable  results.  No  one  can 
examine  this  huge  mass  of  letters,  and  trace 
the  multitudinous  and  varied  paths  through 
which  they  lead,  without  a  feeling  of  wonder 
that  any  one  man  could  have  accomplished  the 
amount  of  labour  that  is  here  indicated. 

Another  reflection  which  the  reading  of  these 
letters  suggests  is,  that  the  person  who  received 
and  ansAvered  them  must  have  been  liberally 
endowed  with  both  the  power  and  the  spirit  of 
accommodation.  They  relate  to  nearly  every 
subject  of  importance  that  occupied  the  public 
mind  during  the  whole  of  Dr.  Morse's  active 
life ;  and  one  marvels  at  the  graceful  facility 
with  which  he^  passes  from  one  subject  to 
another,  as  if  it  were  impossible  for  his 
thoughts  to  pause  at  any  point  where  they 
were  not  entirely  at  home.  A  large  part  of 
the  letters  he  received,  related  to  subjects  that 
he  deemed  important,  and  in  relation  to  which 
he  considered  it  a  privilege  to  co-operate  with 
the  writers ;  but  he  was  also  well-nigh  flooded 
with  communications  designed  to  subserve  mere 
personal  ends  on  the  part  of  those  from  whom 
they  came,  and  many  of  which  it  might  have 
seemed  natural  enough  that  he  should  pass  in 
silence.  This,  however,  he  was  not  accustomed 
to  do — every  letter  that  was  decent  and  respect- 
ful in  its  tone,  however  troublesome  might  be 


mS  CORRESrOXDEXCE. 


255 


the  request  it  contained,  was  sure  to  be  promptly 
and  kindly  answered.  This  was  the  more 
remarkable  in  view  of  the  constant  claims  that 
were  made  upon  his  time  by  objects  of  acknowl- 
edged public  importance. 

And  Avhile  Dr.  Morse's  almost  world-wide 
correspondence  served  to  develop  and  keep  in 
exercise  some  of  his  more  striking  proclivities, 
it  cannot  be  doubted  that  it  re-acted,  as  a  benign 
influence,  in  improving  and  elevating  his  char- 
acter. It  is  proverbial  that  we  naturally  become 
conformed  to  the  characters  of  those  with  whom 
we  are  brought  most  in  contact — the  quality  of 
the  intellectual  and  moral  atmosphere  that  we 
breathe,  makes  itself  felt,  either  for  good  or 
evil,  in  our  inmost  mind  and  heart.  Dr.  Morse's 
correspondence  kept  him  in  constant  inter- 
course with  many  of  the  purest  and  most 
exalted  characters  of  the  age ;  and  it  would 
have  been  strange  indeed  if  the  effect  had  not 
been  to  render  his  own  virtues  more  conspicu- 
ous. Such  undoubtedly  was  the  effect ;  and 
there  is  equal  reason  to  believe  that  a  corre- 
sponding influence  was  exerted  by  himself  upon 
other  minds,  in  elevating  them  to  a  higher  tone 
of  thought  and  feeling  and  action. 

While  there  is  so  much  in  this  correspond- 
ence to  gratify  curiosity,  and  especially  to  aid 
in  the  settlement  of  many  questions  of  histori- 
cal interest,  one  can  hardly  look  through  it  at 
this  day  without  the  sad  consciousness  of  walk- 
ing among  the  dead.    With  very  few  excep- 


256 


HIS  OORRE8FONDENGE. 


tions,  all  the  hands  by  which  this  vast  collec- 
tion of  letters  were  written,  have  turned  into 
clods ;  and  those  that  remain  are,  generally,  at 
best,  specimens  of  Avaning  vigour  and  power.  It 
is  a  delightful  reflection,  however,  that,  while 
this  correspondence  represents  a  vast  throng 
who  have  passed  on  to  mingle  in  the  scenes 
beyond  the  vail,  not  a  small  portion  of  them 
have  been  gathered  to  the  final  inheritance  of 
the  saints.  Precious  indeed  is  the  thought  that 
he  and  they  who  were  so  long  fellow-labour- 
ers on  earth,  sharing  one  another's  confidence 
and  rejoicing  in  one  another's  success,  should 
now  form  part  of  the  same  glorified  community, 
and  walk  in  the  light  of  the  same  throne,  and 
prosecute  their  researches  together  into  the 
works  and  ways  of  God. 


IX. 


SuMilARY  OF  HIS  CHARACTER. 

Dr.  Morse  was  far  from  having  a  vigorous 
physical  constitution — indeed  it  was  the  absence 
of  this  that  seems  to  have  first  suofjirested  to  his 
parents  the  idea  of  giving  him  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. He  was  struggling  with  bodily  infirmities, 
more  or  less,  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  the  marvel  is  that,  under  such  disadvantage, 
he  was  able  to  perform  such  vast  and  varied 
labour.  lie  was  of  a  somewhat  slender  form, 
of  about  the  medium  height,  with  a  bright 
piercing  eye,  and  a  general  expression  of  coun- 
tenance, indicating  at  once  a  vigorous  intellect 
and  quick  sensibilities.  While  his  manners 
were  gentlemanly  and  cultivated,  there  was  an 
earnestness  in  his  movements  that  seemed  to 
say  that  he  understood  well  the  value  of  life, 
and  that,  like  his  Divine  Master,  he  must  be 
*'  always  about  his  Father's  business." 

His  intellectual  character  was  marked  by 
uncommon  quickness  and  clearness  of  percep- 
tion, by  a  retentive  memory,  a  correct  and  del- 
icate taste,  and  a  habit  of  wide  and  close  obser- 
vation. Though  he  made  no  claim  to  any 
remarkable  acquirements  in  any  other  depart- 


258 


8UM1IABY  OF  HIS  CHARACTER. 


ment  than  that  of  Geography,  yet  with  liis 
uncommonly  active  mind,  in  connection  with 
his  untiring  industry,  he  accumulated  aa 
amount  of  general  knowledge  of  which  very 
few  minds  have  ever  been  the  depositories. 
It  was  not  easy  to  introduce  a  subject,  within 
the  ordinary  range  of  a  cultivated  intellect, 
upon  which  he  was  not  able  to  converse  intel- 
ligently, as  well  as  to  suggest  thoughts  in 
which  was  found  rich  material  for  subsequent 
reflection. 

No  ■  feature  of  his  mind  was  perhaps  more 
remarkable  than  its  versatility  —  his  wonder- 
ful power  of  bringing  his  faculties  into  exer- 
cise with  equal  ease  and  to  equal  purpose,  in 
any  or  all  of  the  various  fields  which  invited 
his  eflforts.  Whether  labouring  for  the  spirit- 
ual interests  of  his  flock  in  the  Pulpit,  or  in 
the  Lecture  room,  or  in  the  Family ;  whether 
framing  a  Geography  or  a  History,  or  establish- 
ing and  conducting  a  Periodical ;  whether  origi- 
nating and  sustaining  Societies  in  aid  of  Evan- 
gelical Truth  or  Christian  Benevolence,  or 
defending  the  cherished  principles  of  his  faith 
against  the  objections  of  those  who  questioned 
or  denied  them;  whether  exchanging  thoughts, 
either  in  conversation  or  by  letter,  with  the 
Tather  of  his  country,  or  labouring  to  enlighten 
the  poor  negroes  of  Georgia  or  of  Boston,  —  in 
all  these  various  circumstances  he  seemed 
equally  at  home,  and  whatever  he  undertook, 
Lis  heart  entered  into  it  with  all  the  energy 


SUTkniARY  OF  HIS  CnARACTER. 


259 


of  a  ruling  passion.  And  with  this  remarkable 
versatility  there  was  united  an  indomitable 
perseverance,  that  looked  at  obstacles  only  as 
things  to  be  met  and  overcome ;  and  it  was  a 
rare  case  indeed  that  he  failed  ultimately  of 
accomplishing  his  object.  Indeed,  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  some  of  his  best  friends  regarded 
his  tenacity  of  purpose  as  having  been  occa- 
sionally excessive ;  and  though  they  felt  assured 
that  his  movements  were  always  dictated  by  a 
conscientious  regard  to  right,  yet  they  were 
also  satisfied  that  he  might  have  sometimes 
paused,  advantageously  to  himself  and  to  the 
cause  he  was  endeavouring  to  sustain. 

Dr.  Morse's  general  love  of  improvement, 
combined  with  his  highly  adventurous  spirit, 
led  him  often  to  traverse  ground  that  Avould 
have  possessed  no  attractions  to  ordinary  minds. 
It  may  be  mentioned,  as  an  instance  of  this, 
that,  upon  the  first  discovery  of  Vaccination, 
while  the  community  in  which  he  lived  almost 
universally  looked  upon  it  with  distrust  and 
aversion,  he  at  once  manifested  his  confidence 
in  it  by  introducing  it  into  his  own  family  ;  and 
his  example  soon  came  to  be  extensively  fol- 
lowed in  the  vicinity,  and,  at  no  distant  period, 
the  country  at  large  gave  its  assent  to  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  discovery. 

Dr.  Morse  was,  in  many  respects,  in  advance 
of  the  period  in  which  he  lived.  It  was  during 
his  ministry,  as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to 
state,  that  the  Church,  on  both  sides  of  the 


2G0 


SUMMARY  OP  mS  dlABACTBB. 


ocean,  awoke  from  a  protracted  slumber,  to  a 
sense  of  her  obligation  to  send  the  Gospel 
through  the  world ;  and  contemporaneous  with 
this  was  an  incipient  reform  in  almost  every 
department  of  human  life  and  action.  Dr. 
Morse  was  not  only  ready  to  lend  a  helping 
hand  in  every  benevolent  movement,  but,  in 
some  of  the  most  prominent  enterprises  of  the 
day,  he  was  actually  a  pioneer.  While  he  was 
far  from  any  tendency  to  extravagance  or  eccen- 
tricity, and  rarely,  if  ever,  projected  a  plan 
of  reform  that  did  not  ultimately  approve 
itself  to  the  mature  judgment  of  the  wise  and 
benevolent,  he  was  not  afraid  to  penetrate  into 
regions  of  benevolence  that  had  not  before  been 
explored;  nor  did  he  hesitate  to  take  counsel 
of,  or  co-operate  with,  those  with  whose  opin- 
ions on  other  subjects  his  own  were  far  from 
being  in  harmony.  There  was  scarcely  an  im- 
portant object  of  benevolence  in  his  day,  with 
which  he  was  not  connected,  either  as  an  origi- 
nator or  a  vigorous  promoter;  and  not  only 
was  he  ready  to  respond  to  every  claim  that 
was  made  upon  him  either  for  thought  or 
action,  but  his  inquisitive  and  far  reaching 
mind  was  perpetually  on  the  alert  for  devising 
new  plans,  and  wakening  into  exercise  new 
energies,  to  meliorate  the  condition,  im- 
prove the  character,  and  exalt  the  destiny, 
of  man. 

Without  attempting  to  decide  whether  Dr. 
Morse's  multiplied  engagements,  outside  the 


SUMMARY  OF  HIS  CIIAllACTER. 


2G1 


immediate  range  of  his  profession,  detracted 
at  all  from  his  power  and  success  as  a  preacher, 
it  may  safely  be  said  that  he  took  rank  among 
the  excellent  preachers  of  the  day.  He  was 
as  far  as  possible  from  what  would  be  called, 
in  modern  phrase,  "  a  sensation  preacher.'* 
His  sermons,  which  were  all  carefully  written, 
were  unusually  clear  and  logical  in  their  con- 
struction, and  graceful  in  their  style,  and  some 
of  them  contained  passages  of  rare  beauty. 
Their  general  tone  was  highly  evangelical, 
though  few  of  them  seem  to  have  taken  on  a 
controversial  form  —  much  fewer  than  might 
have  been  expected,  considering  the  peculiar 
circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed.  In 
looking  over  his  manuscript  discourses,  I  have 
been  struck  with  the  fact  that,  though  they  are 
not  generally  of  an  argumentative  cast,  in  the 
sense  of  being  elaborate  or  profound^  yet  they 
are  marked  by  a  comprehensiveness  and  com- 
pleteness, which  could  not  fail  to  give  them 
favour  with  the  more  thoughtful  class  of  hear- 
ers, and,  at  the  same  time,  by  a  beautiful  sim- 
plicity, that  brought  them  within  the  range  of 
the  commonest  intellect.  His  manner  in  the 
pulpit  was  calm  and  unstudied j  his  voice  dis- 
tinguished for  its  silvery  and  melodious  tones, 
his  countenance  expressive  of  vigorous  thought, 
as  well  as  great  sincerity  and  earnestness,  and 
his  whole  appejirance  such  as  became  an  ac- 
credited ambassador  for  Christ.  It  was  my 
privilege  to  hear   him  preach  only  twice; 


262 


SUMMARY  OP  raS  CHARACTER. 


but  in  one  of  these  cases  particularly,  both  the 
discourse  and  the  manner  of  delivery  left  upon 
my  mind  an  impression,  that  the  lapse  of  more 
than  half  a  century  has  not  been  sufficient  to 
efface. 

It  was  natural  enough,  considering  the  great 
number  and  variety  of  objects  to  Avhich  Dr. 
Morse's  attention  was  drawn,  that  some  should 
have  charged  him  with  being  neglectful  of  the 
immediate  duties  pertaining  to  the  sacred  office. 
But,  as  far  as  the  record  of  his  ministry  has 
come  under  my  eye,  I  find  nothing  that  fairly 
sustains  such  a  charge.  The  spiritual  interests 
of  his  people  seem  always  to  have  been  upon 
his  heart ;  and  while  he  was  labouring  for  other 
objects,  this  was  evidently,  in  his  estimation, 
paramount  to  all  others.  Many  a  minister  who 
has  not  approached  Dr.  Morse  either  in  the 
number  of  sermons  he  has  written  and  preached, 
or  in  the  amount  of  private  pastoral  duty  that 
he  has  performed,  has  never  been  suspected  of 
any  delinquency — the  Doctor's  only  fault  in 
the  matter  seems  to  have  been,  that  what  were 
hours  of  leisure  to  others  were  hours  of  work 
to  him ;  and  that  by  a  strict  economy  of  his 
time,  he  was  able  to  superadd  to  at  least  the 
ordinary  amount  of  professional  labour,  a  degree 
of  vigorous  and  successful  effort  in  other  fields 
of  usefulness,  which  exceeded  that  of  almost 
any  of  his  contemporaries. 

Dr.  Morse,  notwithstanding  his  controversial 
habits,  growing  out  of  his  peculiar  relations 


SUM3IARY  OF  HIS  CHARACTER. 


263 


and  circumstances,  possessed  a  naturally  amia- 
ble and  kindly  disposition.  Hence  his  inti- 
mate friends  were  drawn  to  him  by  cords  of 
the  strongest  affection.  In  his  house  was  prac- 
tised the  broadest  and  most  generous  hospi- 
tality. Letters  almost  innumerable  still  exist 
from  persons — many  of  them  men  of  emi- 
nence— who,  after  having  sojourned  with  him, — 
some  of  them  perhaps  for  weeks,  —  have  thus 
sent  back  their  grateful  acknowledgments  for 
the  favours  he  had  conferred  upon  them.  This 
largeness  of  heart  prevented  his  ever  becoming 
rich,  as  he  might  otherwise  have  done,  and  left 
him  in  his  last  years  with  a  bare  competence. 

In  nothing  pertaining  to  pastoral  duty  was 
Dr.  Morse  more  distinguished  than  his  con- 
siderate, tender,  appropriate  treatment  of  per- 
sons in  affliction.  He  seemed  able  always  to 
command  the  best  thoughts,  and  to  communi- 
cate them  in  the  most  sympathetic  and  conso- 
latory manner,  while  he  took  care  to  blend 
with  words  of  comfort,  words  of  counsel,  or,  as 
the  case  might  be,  of  admonition.  There  are 
those  still  living,  who  have  treasured  among 
their  most  cherished  remembrances  the  kindly 
and  delicate  manner  in  which  he  has  conveyed 
to  them  the  tidings  of  some  domestic  bereave- 
ment or  other  form  of  calamity ;  and  they  can 
scarcely  speak  of  him  now  without  invoking 
blessings  upon  his  memory,  as  having  been  at 
once  their  comforter  and  guide  in  the  hour  of 
their  sorrow. 


264 


SUMMABT  OF  HIS  CnARACTER. 


But  that  which  more  than  anything  else  gave 
complexion  to  Dr.  Morse's  character  and  life, 
was  an  earnest  piety,  discovering  itself  espe- 
cially in  a  conscientious  adherence  to  his  own 
convictions  of  duty,  and  a  devout  and  reve- 
rent acknowledgment  of  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence. Not  only  in  his  correspondence  but  in 
the  record  of  the  more  private  movements  of 
his  mind  and  heart,  is  to  be  found  the  evidence 
.  that,  sometimes,  when  he  was  bearing  heavy 
reproach  for  acts  which  some  charged  to  un- 
worthy motives,  he  was  not  only  obeying  the 
honest  dictates  of  conscience,  but  was  doing 
it  at  the  expense  of  no  small  degree  of  self- 
denial.  Amidst  all  his  diverse  and  manifold 
engagements,  the  great  matter  of  personal 
Christian  culture  was  never  overlooked  —  on 
the  contrary,  his  varied  experiences  seem  to 
have  been  rendered  tributary  to  this  important 
end ;  and  hence  the  work  of  his  last  hour  was 
a  mere  calm,  trustful,  cheerful  exchange  of 
earth  for  Heaven. 

The  monument  over  his  grave  in  the  New 
Haven  burying-ground  is  of  Rhode  Island 
white  granite,  and  is  twenty  feet  high.  It 
consists  of  a  column  surmounted  with  a  globe, 
and  resting  on  a  square  base,  on  the  four  sides 
of  which  are  the  following  inscriptions : 


MONUMENT  TO  DR.  MORSE,  IN  CEMETERY,  NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 

Face  p.  a6s 


SUMMARY  OF  HIS  CHARACTER. 


In  Memory  of 

JEDIDIAII  MORSE, 

THE  FATHER  OF  AMERICAN  GEOGRAPHY; 
Bom  in  Woodstock,  Wlndliam  Co.,  Conn.,  Aag.  23,  1761 ; 
Died  In  New  Haven,  June  9,  1826; 

IK  THB  JOT  OF  A  TRIOUPIIANT  FAITH 
IN  CUBIST. 

A  GRADUATE  OF  YALE  COLLEGE  in  1783; 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  FIRST  GEOGRAPHY  PRINTED 

IN  AMERICA  in  1781; 

HONORED  BY  THE  UXIV.  OF  EDINBURGH  (SCOT.) 
"WITH  THE  DEGREE  OF  S.  T.  D.  in  1791; 

PASTOR  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  IN 
CHARLESTOWN,  MASS., 
from  1789  to  1820; 

tJ.  8.  COMMISSIONER  TO  THE  INDIAN  TRIBES, 
Crom  1820  to  1822. 

THE  ORIGINATOR 
AND  EFFICIENT  PROMOTER  OF 
GREAT  AND  WISE  PLANS  FOR  THE  PUBLIC  GOOD. 

THE  BOLD  AND  FIRM  DEFENDER  OF 
EVANGELICAL  TRUTH. 

In  Memory  of 
EI.IZ4BETII  AN]V  nORSE, 

WIFE  OF  JEDIDIAH  MORSE, 
daagtater  of  Samael  Breese,  and  grand-daaghter  of 
Bamoel  Finley,  President  of  the  College  of  New  Jenejr* 

Born  in  New  Yorlc  city,  Sept.  29th,  1766; 
Died  in  New  Haven,  May  28,  1828. 

KXnmT  POR  AI.I.  THB  VIRTtTES  THAT  ADORIT  THB 
CHRIOTIAK  WTFB  AITD  XOTHBR. 

This  Monument 
TO  THE  BEST  OF  FATHERS  AND  OF  MOTHERS, 

IS  BRBCTED  BT  THEIR  SONS. 

23 


X. 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  REMEMBRAKCE 
■    From  the  Sons  of  Dr.  Morse. 
*  From  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse. 

POUGHKEEPSIE,  NeW  YoRK, 

May  24th,  1856. 

Wm.  B.  Spraque,  DD. 

My  dear  Sir: — ^At  your  request,  I  give  you 
very  hastily  some  personal  reminiscences  of  my 
venerated  father.  I  say  "  hastily,"  for  I  am  called 
upon  for  them  quite  unexpectedly,  and  on  the  eve 
of  my  departure  for  Europe. 

The  most  prominent  trait  of  my  father's  char- 
acter, and  that  which  is  indelibly  inscribed  on 
my  memory,  is  his  charity, — charity  in  the  New 
Testament  sense  the  great  master  principle  of 
Christianity.  As  the  fruit  and  evidence  of  this 
may  be  mentioned  his  untiring  invention  of 
enlarged  plans  for   benefiting  his  fellow-men. 

*  This  letter  was  originally  written  to  accumpany  the  biographical 
sketch  of  Dr.  Morse  in  the  '*  Annals  of  the  American  Palpit "  (voL  II., 
page  255).    It  is  reprinted  here  by  special  permission 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  REMEMBRANCE.  267 

His  mind  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  seize  every 
means,  and  press  them  into  the  service  of  good 
to  all  mankind.  In  no  other  man,  whom  I  liave 
known,  was  the  "love  of  Christ"  so  evidently 
the  great  controlling  and  constraining  motive  in 
all  beneficent  planning.  In  no  other  one  have 
I  known  this  love  to  be  in  such  constant  exercise. 

It  was  shown  towards  mankind  at  large,  in  his 
nursing  of  the  infant  Tract  Society,  when,  in 
its  earliest  existence,  it  was  embodied  in  himself 
as  the  selector,  the  publisher,  and  chief  distrib- 
utor of  religious  tracts,  and  when  the  first  tract 
depository  in  the  United  States  was  a  small  room 
partitioned  off  from  his  stable.  It  was  shown 
towards  the  African  race,  when  he  planned  with 
the  well  known  and  intelligent  colored  sea  cap- 
tain, Paul  Cuffee,  the  first  colonization  scheme 
for  the  Christianizatibn  of  Africa  with  emanci- 
pated Christian  blacks.  It  was  shown  in  his 
zealous  cooperation  with  the  first  planners  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  to  give  a  permanent 
location  and  organization  to  that  noble  institu- 
tion. It  was  shown  in  his  prominence  as  a 
founder  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Andover 
and  in  his  labours  with  other  kindred  minds  in 
the  planning  and  organizing  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
and  in  his  personal  efforts  as  one  of  the  Pruden- 
tial Committee,  with  Worcester  and  Evarts,  in 
managing  its  concerns.  And  it  was  shown  in  the 
last  days  of  his  life,  when  his  ruling  passion 


268        LETTE&S  OP  AFFECTIONATE  KEMEMBRANOE. 

exerted  itself  in  labours  to  benefit  the  American 
Indians. 

Nor  was  his  benevolence  limited  to  these 
larger  fields  for  its  exercise.  Hospitality  was 
the  sign  of  my  father's  house,  not  for  the  wealthy 
and  distinguished  alone,  but  for  the  poor  and 
unpretending.  Talleyrand,  when  an  exile,  was 
cordially  entertained  at  his  table,  but  not  more 
so  than  some  of  his  poorer  and  more  unpolished 
clerical  brethren. 

His  property,  earned  by  his  geographical  and 
other  literary  labors,  was  liberally  dispensed  to 
the  foreign  exile,  as  well  as  to  the  needy  native. 
I  remember  well  the  tears  of  gratitude  of  a 
Frenchman  to  whom  my  father  had  given  a  small 
supply  of  funds  and  letters  to  some  of  his  friends 
which  procured  for  the  foreigner  an  honorable 
and  lucrative  position  as  a  teacher  in  the  interior 
of  the  state.  He  came  into  my  father's  study  to 
express  his  thanks.  My  father  had  said  to  him, 
"  I  can  give  you  but  little  money,  but  I  hope  my 
letters  will  be  of  service."  On  receiving  his 
thanks  and  being  made  acquainted  with  his  suc- 
cess, my  father  replied :  "  I  could  give  you  but 
little  money."  "  Yes,"  said  the  exile,  "  but  it 
was  given  so  heartily,  with  so  much  good  will. 
It  was  enough.  I  read  your  heart.  I  wanted 
sympathy  more  than  money,  but  you  gave  both." 

This,  in  a  few  words,  my  dear  Sir,  was  my 
father.    With  sincere  respect. 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

SAMUEL  F.  B.  MORSE. 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  EEMEMBEANCE.  269 


From  Sidney  E.  Morse. 

New  York,  November,  18G7. 

VVm.  B.  Sprague,  D.D. 

Dear  Sir; — You  ask  me  for  a  letter  of  reminis- 
cences of  my  venerated  father,  for  your  Biogra- 
\A\y  of  him  soon  to  be  published.  In  reply  allow 
me  to  say  that  I  had  occasion  some  time  ago, 
in  answer  to  an  invitation  to  the  celebration  of 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  First  Sabbath 
School  Society  in  Massachusetts  founded  by  my 
father,  in  1816,  to  write  a  letter  in  which  I  give 
an  epitomized  narrative  of  what  was  most  memo- 
rable in  his  life,  touching  very  lightly  on  those 
principal  topics  which  you  have  treated  so  fully 
and  satisfactorily,  and  dwelling  with  detail  on 
other  matters  which  belong  as  properly,  perhaps, 
to  the  letter  of  reminiscences  you  now  ask  for  as  to 
the  jubilee*  occasion  for  which  they  were  origin- 
ally intended.  A  part  of  the  narrative  that  follows 
is  therefore  derived  from  that  source. 

•  The  first  Sabbatii  School  society  in  Massachusetts  was  fonncd 
in  October,  1810,  by  Dr.  Morse  and  inemlH.'rs  of  his  Church,  in 
Charlostown.  His  eldest  son,  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  his  sucond  son, 
Sidney  E.  Morse,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Todd,  of  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
were  three  of  the  first  teachers  of  the  first  scliool  established  by  this 
Society;  and  Mr.  S.  F.  B.  Morse  was  also  the  first  superinli-ndent 
of  the  school.  These  three  surviving  teachers  were  invited  to  nt.tend 
and  take  part  in  the  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  tho 
school  and  the  Society.  The  meeting  for  the  celebration  was  lield 
in  the  church  of  the  First  Parish  in  Charlcstown,  on  tho  14th  of 
October,  1866.  Dr.  Todd  and  Mr.  Si«lney  E.  Morse  were  present. 
Professor  Morso  was  absent  at  the  time  with  his  family  in  Europe. 


270       LETTESS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  KEMEMBBANCB. 


I  remember  well  the  circumstances  in  which 
the  First  Sabbath  School  Society  in  Massachu- 
setts was  originated  in  Charlestown.  The  merit 
of  originating  it  belongs  pre-eminently  to  the  late 
Rev.Ward  Stafford,  of  New  York.  Sixty  years  ago, 
Ward  Stafford  was  a  poor  farmer's  boy  in  New 
Hampshire.  Becoming  hopefully  pious,  he  was 
placed  at  Phillips  Academy,  in  Audover,  to  be 
trained  to  the  duties  of  a  country  schoolmaster. 
My  younger  brother,  Richard,  was  at  that  time  at 
the  Andover  Academy,  preparing  for  admission 
to  Yale  College.  Rooming  with  Stafford,  highly 
appreciating  his  talents  and  Christian  spirit,  and 
earnestly  desiring  to  extend  his  power  of  useful- 
ness, my  brother  presented  Stafford's  case  to  my 
father,  who  at  once  obtained  the  subscription  of 
the  late  Josiah  Salisbury,  deacon  in  the  Old 
South  Church  in  Boston,  for  four  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  of  other  wealthy  friends  for  three  hun- 
dred dollars  more ;  and  with  this  money  Mr. 
Stafford  was  educated  at  Yale  College,  Avhere  he 
was  graduated  in  1812  with  the  second  honor  in 
his  class,  delivering  the  salutatory  oration  on 
that  occasion,  although  among  his  competitors 
for  that  honor  were  such  men  as  the  Hon.  George 
Bliss,  of  Springfield,  and  the  late  Hon.  John 
Davis,  of  Worcester,  whose  talents  the  people  of 
Massachusetts  have  appreciated  by  bestowing 
upon  them  the  highest  offices  in  their  gift. 

After  leaving  New  Haven,  Mr.  Stafford  went 
to  New  York,  and  became  a  devoted  missionary 
to  the  poor  of  that  city,  on  a  plan  originated  by 


LETTEES  OF  AFFECTIONATE  KEMESIBKANXE.  271 

himself,  and  set  forth  in  a  small  work,  entitled 
"A  New  Missionary  Field,"  a  work  which 
DeWitt  Clinton,  the  great  statesman  of  New 
York,  pronounced  "  a  masterly  performance,"  and 
which  prepared  the  way  for  the  City  Missions, 
now  so  generally  established  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe. 

The  class  of  poor  with  which  Mr.  Stafford 
specially  occupied  himself  were  the  seamen  of 
the  port ;  and,  in  his  labors  for  them,  he  founded 
the  institutions  which  ripened  into  the  American 
Seamen's  Friend  Society,  whose  influence  for 
good  is  now  felt  throughout  the  world. 

Mr.  Stafford  engaged  also  enthusiastically  in 
the  establishment  of  Sabbath  schools  in  New 
York.  In  the  autumn  of  181G,  he  made  a  visit 
of  several  weeks  to  my  father  in  Cliarlostown, 
and  enlisted  him  in  the  Sabbath  school  enter- 
prise. At  that  time  good  people  in  Massachu 
setts  regarded  Sabbath  schools  as  fitted  only  for 
the  children  of  the  poor,  in  such  cities  as  Lon- 
don and  New  York,  where  ignorant  and  vicious 
parents  neglected  the  religious  education  of  their 
offspring,  and  where  no  adequate  provision  was 
made  for  secular  instruction  during  the  week. 
In  Massachusetts,  where  ample  provision  was 
made  by  law  for  teaching  every  child  to  read 
and  write  on  week-days,  and  where  parents  were 
presumed  to  devote  a  part  of  every  Sabbath  to 
the  religious  instruction  of  their  children.  Sab- 
bath schools,  it  was  thought,  would  be  entirely 
out  of  place.    Some  of  the  best  men  that  I  saw 


272       LETTERS  OP  AFFECTIONATE  BEKEMBSAKGB. 

at  my  father's  at  that  time  maintained  that  it 
would  be  actually  a  profanation  of  the  Sabbath 
to  open  a  school  on  the  Lord*8  Day,  as  it  would 
be  doing  work  on  that  holy  day  which  the  fourth 
commandment  requires  to  be  done  on  the  other 
days  of  the  week. 

On  Mr.  Stafford's  arrival  the  whole  subject 
was  discussed  in  the  parlor  of  the  parsonage  by 
Mr.  S.,  Jeremiah  Evarts,  Dr.  Worcester  and  my 
father.  I  remember  that  even  Mr.  Evarts  and  Dr. 
W.,  in  the  beginning,  expressed  the  opinion  that 
Sabbath  schools  were  not  fitted  for  New  Eng- 
land. My  father,  however,  was  convinced  by 
Mr.  S.*s  representations,  and  having  examined 
-  the  matter  carefully  acted  with  his  usual  perspi- 
cacity and  promptness  and  became  the  founder  of 
the  First  Sabbath  School  Society  in  Massachu- 
setts. 

Near  the  close  of  last  century,  Dr.  Jenner,  in 
England,  made  his  celebrated  discovery  of  Vac- 
cination as  a  preventive  of  small  pox.  At  first 
he  was  violently  opposed  in  London  by  members 
of  the  medical  profession,  who  would  have 
branded  him  as  a  monster,  seeking  to  bestialize 
the  human  species  by  introducing  among  men 
the  diseases  of  the  lower  animals.  There  was 
also  a  strong  feeling  of  repugnance  to  vaccination 
in  this  country ;  and  when  Dr.  Waterhouse,  of 
Cambridge,  in  the  autumn  of  1800,  imported  vac- 
cine matter  from  England,  he  reported  to  my 
father  that  he  could  not  find  persons  willing  to 
submit  to  the  experiment.    My  father,  who  had 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  EEMIMBRANCE.  273 

probably  been  enlightened  on  the  subject  by  Dr. 
Lettsom  and  other  correspondents  in  London, 
invited  Dr.  W.  to  Charlestown,  engaging  to  find 
him  there  fit  subjects  for  his  purpose.  When 
Dr.  W.  arrived,  my  father  went  with  him  to  Mrs. 
Henley's  store  on  Main  street,  and  presented  the 
case  to  S.  V.  S.  Wilder,  who  was  at  that  time  a 
clerk  in  Mrs.  Henley's  employment.  Young 
Wilder,  having  unbounded  confidence  in  my 
father,  at  once  submitted  to  the  operation.  Dr. 
W.  then  returned  to  the  parsonage,  and  vacci- 
nated me  and  Richard,  my  younger  brother.  He 
had  previously  vaccinated  a  member  of  his  own 
family ;  and  we  four,  I  have  been  taught,  were 
the  first  four  persons  vaccinated  in  America. 

In  the  autumn  of  1801,  my  father  established 
a  Saturday  evening  Lecture  for  tlie  Religious 
instruction  of  the  Youth  of  his  parish,  taking  for 
his  text  the  answers  to  the  questions  in  the  West- 
minster Assembly's  Catechism.  This  lecture  w.as 
soon  attended  by  more  than  two  hundrd  ^  oung 
men ;  and  in  the  autumns  of  1802  and  1803,  when 
it  was  renewed,  by  three  hundred  and  four  hun- 
dred ;  and  it  was  kept  up  for  several  subsequent 
years  with  evident  good  effect,  the  persons 
added  to  my  father's  church  during  three  years, 
at  this  period,  having  been  more  than  one  hun- 
dred. Among  the  young  men  most  prominent 
in  promoting  these  gatherings  was  Mr.  S.  V.  S. 
Wilder,  to  whom  I  have  already  alluded.  My 
father  was  strongly  attached  to  Mr.  Wilder,  and 
paid  special  attention  to  his  religious  instruction, 


274       LETTERS  OP  ATFECTIOHATE  BEMKMBRAKOB. 


inviting  him  to  spend  his  Saturday  evenings  in 
his  study,  to  commit  there  his  Catechism  and 
Bible  lessons,  while  my  father  was  engaged  in 
writing  his  sermons  for  the  Sabbath.  The  inti- 
macy and  friendship  thus  formed  continued 
through  life,  and  they  often  afterwards  co-oper- 
ated in  the  same  enterprises ;  Mr.  Wilder,  as  is 
well  known,  having  been,  like  my  father,  an 
eflScient  promoter  of  numerous  religious  chari- 
table societies,  and  especially  of  the  American 
Tract  Society,  of  which  he  was  annually  elected 
the  president  for  the  first  sixteen  years  of  its 
existence. 

In  1802,  an  incident  occurred,  as  related  in  the 
Biography,  which  led  my  father  to  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  negroes.  His  labors 
on  their  behalf  greatly  endeared  him  to  the 
colored  people  in  all  that  part  of  the  Common- 
wealth; and  in  every  important  matter  which 
concerned  them,  they  afterwards  consulted  him 
as  their  earliest  influential  friend.  When  1 
returned  home  from  college  one  vacation,  I  think 
it  was  in  the  year  1811,  I  found  the  hall  of  the 
parsonage  crowded  with  negroes;  and  when  I 
asked  what  it  meant,  I  was  told  that  they  were 
a  deputation,  composed  of  the  most  respectable 
colored  people  of  Boston  who  had  come  to  con- 
sult my  father  respecting  a  plan  for  colonizing 
American  negroes  in  Africa,  which  had  been 
recommended  by  Paul  Cuflfee,  a  colored  ship- 
owner of  New  Bedford.  Mr.  Cuffee  had  corre- 
sponded with  the  leading  negroes  in  New  York, 


LETTEB8  OF  AFFECTIOXATE  REMEMBRANCE.  275 

Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  on  the  subject,  and 
had  offered  all  who  inclined  to  go  to  Africa  a  free 
passage  in  his  vessels.  The  Boston  deputation 
wished  my  father  to  use  his  influence  with  his 
London  friends  to  obtain  permission  for  Ameri- 
can negroes  to  go  and  settle  in  Sierra  Leone,  for 
the  Americans  at  that  time  had  no  territory  on 
the  African  coast;  and  they  wished  Dr.  Morse 
to  write  also  to  his  friends  in  Washington  to  get 
the  United  States  Government  to  share  in  the 
expenses  of  the  expedition.  In  compliance  with 
their  request  he  wrote  a  letter  on  the  subject  to 
Hon.  Christopher  Gore,  then  in  the  United  States 
Senate  from  Massachusetts.  The  project,  how- 
ever, was  discouraged,  owing  to  the  prospect 
afterwards  realized  of  a  war  with  Great  Britain. 
This  rendered  an  application  for  aid  from  the 
Government  at  that  time,  in  Mr.  Gore's  judg- 
ment, inexpedient.  But  the  scheme  was  revived 
in  1815,  when  a  company  of  colored  people  left 
Massachusetts  for  Sierra  Leone,  bearing  with 
them,  as  related  in  the  Biography,  a  letter  from 
my  father  to  Mr.  Maxwell,  governor  of  the  col- 
ony. This  settlement  of  colored  people  from 
Massachusetts  in  Sierra  Leone,  in  1815,  was  the 
first  actual  colonization  of  American  negroes  in 
Africa.  The  American  Colonization  Society  had 
not  then  been  formed,  and  the  territory  of  Liberia 
was  not  purchased  until  several  years  afterwards. 

"A  Compendious  History  of  New  England," 
written  by  my  father  and  his  friend,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Parish,  in  a  style  adapted  to  the  capacities 


276        LETTEB8  OP  AFFBCTIONATE  BEMEMHRANCE. 

of  students  of  the  higher  classes  in  common 
schools,  and  intended  as  a  school  book,  to  excite 
in  the  minds  of  New  England  youth  admiration 
of  the  virtues  of  their  Puritan  ancestors,  was  first 
published  in  September,  1804,  and  met  at  once 
with  remarkable  success ;  the  greater  part  of  a 
large  edition  having  been  sold  in  the  course  of  a 
few  weeks  after  it  was  issued.  Tlie  further  sale 
of  this  work,  and  the  good  which  it  was  calcu- 
lated to  do,  were  defeated,  however,  by  the 
utterly  groundless  charge  that,  in  preparing  and 
publishing  it,  Dr.  Morse  had  violated  the  rights, 
as  an  author,  of  Miss  Hannah  Adams,  who  had 
published,  in  1799,  "A  Summary  History  of  New 
England,"  many  copies  of  which  in  1804  were 
still  unsold. 

This  charge  of  violating  the  rights  of  Miss 
Adams,  as  an  author,  was  made  so  boldly,  reiter- 
ated for  years  so  persistently,  and  countenanced 
80  extensively,  that  it  affected  my  father  deeply 
and  disastrously,  in  his  property,  in  his  pastoral 
and  social  relations,  and  in  other  relations  inti- 
mately connected  with  his  happiness  and  useful- 
ness. His  influence  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity 
was  indeed,  to  a  great  extent,  destroyed  by  it. 
The  charge  was  met  at  last,  as  it  should  have 
been  at  first,  by  an  examination  and  comparison 
of  the  two  works.  When  this  was  done,  it  was 
manifest  at  once  that  they  differed  so  widely  in 
object,  plan,  style,  size,  price,  subdivisions  of  the 
general  subject,  and  space  devoted  to  each  sub- 
division, that  there  could  be  no  improper  resem 


LETTEBS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  BEMEMBRANCE.  277 

blance  or  interference.  But  the  most  important 
result  of  this  examination  was  the  discovery  of 
the  astounding  fact,  that  Miss  Adams,  when  she 
lent  her  name  to  the  enemies  of  Dr.  Morse,  to 
destroy  his  reputation  on  the  false  charge  of  vio- 
lating her  rights  as  an  author,  was  herself  guilty 
of  a  real  and  gross  violation  of  the  rights  of 
another  author;  she  having  copied  verbatim,  or 
with  only  colorable  alterations,  nearl}'  one-third 
of  her  whole  work,  one  hundred  and  sixty  out 
of  five  hundred  and  thirteen  pages,  from  Dr.  Ilam- 
say's  History  of  the  American  Revolution  !  After 
the  publication  of  this  fact,  Miss  A.  and  hei 
friends  became  at  once  totally  silent,  and  contin- 
ued so  during  the  remainder  of  my  father's  life, 
more  than  twelve  years. 

I  have  recently  compared  carefully  the  two 
histories;  and,  if  Drs.  Morse  and  Parish  were 
indebted  to  Miss  Adams  for  a  single  fact  in  their 
"  Compendious  History,"  I  have  not  been  able  to 
find  it.  It  is  true  that  Miss  Adams  is  referredi 
to  as  an  authority  in  the  "  Compendious  History  " 
four  times ;  but  in  every  one  of  the  four  cases 
the  credit  should  have  been  given,  not  to  Miss 
Adams,  but  to  the  authors  from  whom  she  copied. 
Dr.  Parish  explained  this  in  a  letter  to  Miss 
Adams,  in  which  he  told  her,  that  he  wrote  her 
name  as  an  authority  when  he  knew  that  "  it 
would  have  been  more  exact  to  have  inserted 
another  name ;  but  this  I  did,"  he  said,  "  to  show 
my  respect  for  you,  and  to  keep  your  book  in 
view."  So  that,  really,  the  only  wrong  done  by 
24 


278        LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIOXATB  BEMEUBKANCB. 


either  of  the  compilers  of  the  "  Compendious  His- 
tory "  to  other  authors  was  the  wrong  done  by 
Dr.  Parish  to  Chalmers,  Hutchinson,  Neal  and 
Trumbull,  in  giving  credit  due  them  to  Miss 
Adams,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the  sale  of 
her  book ! 

In  the  fall  of  1802  my  father,  as  described  in 
the  Biography,  selected  nineteen  religious  tracts; 
procured  fifty-five  reams  of  paper ;  printed  the 
nineteen  tracts  in  editions  varying  from  six  hun- 
dred to  three  thousand,  making  in  all  32,G00 
tracts ;  had  the  greater  part  of  them  done  up  in 
assorted  parcels  of  sixty  tracts  in  a  parcel,  and 
sent  two  parcels  to  each  one  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  towns  in  the  district  of  Maine,  then  a  part 
of  Massachusetts,  making  19,200  tracts  sent  to 
Maine  ;  and  furnished  upwards  of  5,000  more  for 
circulation  in  other  places,  but  chiefly  in  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee,  where  several  efficient 
missionaries,  with  whom  my  father  was  person- 
ally acquainted,  were  then  laboring.  The  money 
expended  in  the  publication  of  these  32,600 
tracts,  amounting  to  S571,  was  contributed 
chiefly  by  my  father's  parishioners,  Richard 
Devens  alone  giving  $281, — nearly  one-half. 
Among  the  other  contributors  in  Charlestown 
were  Miss  Bradstreet,  $8  ;  Joseph  Barrell,  $5 ; 
Artemas  Ward,  $5;  Thomas  Kettell,  $4 ;  S.  V.  S. 
Wilder  (then  a  clerk  in  Mrs.  Henley's  store),  ten 
cents ;  and  among  those  in  Boston  and  elsewhere 
were  Dr.  Lathrop,  $20  ; .  Mrs.  Codman,  $18 ; 
Lieut.-governor  Bobbins,  $14 ;  Deacon  Salisbury 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  I  E5IE1IBKANCE.  2TD 


$10;  Rev.  Mr.  Grcenougli,  $10;  Dr.  Kirkland, 
$5.  My  father  himself  seems  to  have  given 
$119;  for  all  the  subscriptions  amount  to  only 
$452,  while  the  expenses  were  $  >71.  There  can 
be  little  doubt,  I  think,  that,  in  1802,  the  pastor 
and  people  of  the  First  Parish  in  Charlestown  had 
done  more  in  circulating  religious  tracts  among 
the  poor  and  destitute  in  the  United  States  than 
any  other  people  in  New  England ;  for  at  that 
time,  as  I  have  said,  there  was  no  tract  society  in 
the  land,  and  I  never  heard  of  an  individual  engag- 
ing in  the  work  with  an  enthusiasm  approaching 
that  of  my  father.  The  work  thus  begun  was  fol- 
lowed up  till  it  ended  in  the  establishment,  first 
of  the  New  England  Tract  Society,  and  after- 
wards of  the  American  Tract  Society. 

Prior  to  the  formation  of  any  Bible  society  in 
America  or  Europe  my  fiither  co-operated  with 
his  munificent  parishioner,  David  Devens,  and 
with  other  individuals,  in  distributing  Bibles  and 
Testaments,  as  well  as  religious  tracts,  in  the 
newly-settled  parts  of  our  country. 

The  era  of  Bible  societies  commenced  with 
the  est.ablisliment  of  the  British  and  Foreijm 
Bible  Society  in  1804.  The  American  Bible 
Society  was  not  formed  until  1816.  Prior  to 
1816,  the  work  of  printing  and  distributing 
Bibles  in  America  was  performed  by  individuals 
and  by  local  societies.  The  first  local  Bible 
society  in  America  was  that  of  Philadelphia, 
formed  in  1808.  In  the  summer  of  1810,  the 
whole  number  of  Bible  societies  in  the  United 


280       LETTEBS  OF  AFFBOTIOHATZ  SEMEMBRANOX. 

States  was  only  eleven,  viz.;  three  in  Massachu- 
setts, one  in  Connecticut,  two  in  New  York,  one 
in  New  Jersey,  one  in  Pennsylvania,  two  in 
South  Carolina,  and  one  in  Georgia.  That  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia  had  three  out  of  the  eleven 
Bible  societies  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  my 
lather  was  compelled,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health, 
to  spend  the  winter  of  1809—10  in  those  States, 
and  that  he  there,  as  a  voluntary  unpaid  agent, 
engaged  in  the  labors  which  led  to  the  formation 
of  the  Georgia  Bible  Society  at  Savannah,  and  of 
the  Charleston  and  Beaufort  Bible  Societies  in 
South  Carolina.  The  Bible  society  of  Beaufort, 
formed  in  March,  1810,  when  my  father  was 
-  there  on  a  visit  to  a  relative,  contributed,  as  its 
first  offering  to  the  Bible  cause,  the  sum  of  seven 
hundred  dollars,  although  the  whole  population 
of  the  place,  white  and  black,  at  that  time  was 
less  than  1,000! 

The  Paris  Tract  Society  was  formed  in  1818, 
the  Paris  Bible  Society  in  1819,  and  the  Paris 
Missionary  Society  in  1822.  It  is  stated  in  the 
"  Records  of  the  late  S.  V.  S.  Wilder,"  published 
by  the  American  Tract  Society,  New  York,  that 
these  French  societies  owed  their  being  to  a  let- 
ter of  introduction  which  my  father  gave  Mr. 
Wilder  to  the  famous  Prince  Talleyrand,  who, 
when  traveling  in  America,  had  been  hospitably 
entertained  by  him  and  some  of  his  princi- 
pal parishioners,  in  Charlestown.  The  laws  of 
France,  forbidding  assemblages  for  the  purposes 
contemplated  by  these  societies,  were  in  1818 


LEITEBS  OF  AFFECTIONATi:  KEMEMBKANCE.  281 


and  the  years  immediately  subsequent,  strictly 
enforced  against  "  the  hated  English but  Mr. 
Wilder,  an  American,  under  the  protection  of  Tal- 
leyrand, a  protection  granted  in  consequence  of 
the  letter  mentioned  above,  was  encouraged  to 
invite  the  founders  of  these  societies  to  hold  their 
meetings  for  organization  in  his  private  apart- 
ments, and  there  they  were  held  without  inter- 
ruption from  the  police.  The  Bible  enjoins  it 
upon  us  not  to  be  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers, 
for  unexpected  good  may  come  as  the  reward  of 
our  hospitality.  My  father  and  his  parishioners 
doubtless  little  expected,  when  they  were  enter- 
taining Prince  Talleyrand  in  their  houses  in 
Charlestown,  at  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
that  they  were  thus  preparing  the  way,  under 
Providence,  for  the  spread  of  the  Bible  and  evan- 
gelical religion  in  one  of  the  most  populous  and 
powerful  empires  in  the  world. 

I  retain  a  vivid  and  delightful  recollection  of 
my  father  in  the  prime  of  his  life.  His  personal 
appearance  was  very  prepossessing.  The  tall, 
slender  form,  the  well  shaped  head,  a  little  bald, 
but  covered  thinly  with  fine  silken  powdered 
hair,  falling  gracefully  into  curl,  gave  him,  when 
only  middle-aged,  a  venerable  aspect,  while  the 
l)enignant  expression  of  his  whole  countenance 
and  especially  of  his  bright,  speaking  eye  won 
i'or  him  at  first  sight  respect  and  love.  His  aflec- 
tionate  disposition,  mild  temper  and  persuasive 
address,  his  sympathy  with  every  one  in  distress, 
the  tenderness  with  which  he  ministered  conso- 


282        LETTEBS  OF  AFFECmONATK  BKVKMBRAWCg. 

lation  to  the  afflicted,  his  delicate  sense  of  pro- 
priety and  freedom  from  every  offensive  habit, 
his  neat  dress,  polished  manners  and  the  care 
with  which  he  avoided  every  word  and  look  that 
might  wound  the  feelings  of  another,  his  defer- 
ence to  the  aged,  his  complaisance  to  the  gentler 
sex,  his  fondness  for  children  and  their  fondness 
for  him,  the  ardor  with  which  he  enlisted  in  all 
good  enterprises,  the  cheerfulness  and  courage 
with  which  he  prosecuted  them  when  others 
yielded  to  despondency,  his  conciliatory  spirit, 
the  readiness  v.  •  U  which  he  modified  and  even 
abandoned  his  own  plans  in  the  less  important 
parts  to  secure  the  co  peration  of  others  in  the 
great  end,  while  he  ever  maintained  resolutely 
but  courteously  whatever  he  could  not  conscien- 
tiously yield ;  in  short  his  true  Christian  gentle- 
manliness,  the  result  of  long,  earnest  and  prayer- 
ful endeavors  to  shape  his  feelings  and  conduct 
in  all  the  relations  of  life  by  the  rules,  precepts 
and  examples  of  the  New  Testament,  gave  him  a 
deep  hold  on  the  affections  and  confidence  of  all 
who  knew  him  and  particularly  of  the  religious 
community. 

To  all  this  must  be  added  still  other  attrac- 
tions. As  a  fine  singer  my  father  had  few  equals, 
and  this  accomplishment,  in  connection  with  his 
fund  of  anecdote  and  information,  acquired  in 
extensive  intercourse  with  men  of  intelligence, 
wit  and  humor,  and  in  connection,  too,  with  his 
aptitude  and  willingness  to  use  all  his  gifts  for 
the  instruction  and  entertainment  of  others,  made 


LETTERg  OF  AFFECTIONATE  REMEilBRANCE.  283 

him  an  agreeable  companion,  a  welcome  guest 
and  a  favorite  in  every  social  circle  that  he 
entered. 

The  closing  years  of  my  father's  life  were 
spent  in  his  quiet  and  pleasant  home  in  New 
HaVen,  Connecticut.  Here  he  lived  in  the  midst 
of  a  highly  cultivated,  intelligent,  and  Christian 
community,  the  leading  members  of  which,  men 
of  world-wide  literary  and  scientific  fame,  and 
of  religious  sentiments  in  harmony  with  his  own, 
were  his  daily  companions;  while  all,  of  all 
classes,  loved  and  honored  him  for  the  services 
he  had  rendered  to  his  country  and  to  mankind. 

In  the  near  prospect  of  death,  my  fatlier  was 
even  more  buoyant,  hopeful  and  joyous,  than  in 
the  midst  of  life  and  health.  For  him  death  had 
no  terrors,  and  the  grave  no  gloom.  They  were 
to  him  the  portals  of  heaven.  Death,  as  he 
viewed  it,  was  the  gate  through  which  he  must 
pass  on  his  way  to  a  new  and  nobler  life.  Mors 
jama  vita.  Resurgam.  Christ  is  the  Resurrec- 
tion and  theLife.  "I  have  a  hope  full  of  immor- 
tality,— that  expresses  it,"  was  his  response  to 
my  elder  brother,  who  arrived  from  New  York 
in  season  to  hear  and  record  his  last  words.  To 
my  brother's  question,  "  Have  you  any  doubt  of 
the  truth  of  the  doctrines  you  have  preached?" 
he  replied,  "  Oh,  no !  they  are  the  doctrines  of 
the  Bible ;"  and,  alluding  to  my  brother's 
remark,  "  The  Saviour,  whose  honor  you  have 
defended,  will  not  now  desert  you,"  he  said. 


284       LETTEBS  OF  AFFBOTIONATB  BEMEMBRANCE. 


"  Oh,  no !  he  gives  me  a  foretaste  of  heaven.  I 
have  not  strength  to  express  what  I  feel." 

"  The  chamber  where  the  good  man  meets  his  fate 

Is  priTileged  beyond  the  common  walk 

Of  virtuous  life,  quite  in  the  verge  of  heaven." 

It  was  not  my  privilege  to  be  in  that  chamber 
when  my  father  died.  I  was  too  late.  When  I 
arrived,  his  sun  had  set ;  but  its  golden  light  still 
radiated  from  the  sky,  tempering,  with  its  beams 
of  hope  and  joy,'  the  sorrow  of  those  who  had 
gathered  around  his  bed  to  witness  the  hallowed 
scene.  I  joined  in  the  prayer  which  rose  from 
every  heart,  "  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his !" 

Yours,  truly, 

SIDNEY  E.  MORSE. 

From  Mr.  Richard  C.  Morse. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Sprague  : 

You  have  kindly  asked  of  me  some  personal 
recollections  of  my  father.  You  could  hardly 
have  made  a  request  that  affords  me  bo  much 
pleasure  as  that  of  recalling  the  traits  of  one  so 
venerated  as  he  was  by  his  children.  With  the 
thought  of  him,  some  of  his  prominent  qualities 
come  to  my  mind,  and  I  will  take  them  in  the 
order  in  which  they  present  themselves.  My 
recollections  have  been  quickened  by  a  recent 
examination  of  his  diaries  and  letters. 

The  first  trait  I  shall  notice  is  his  filial  love 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  REMEMBRANCE. 


285 


Owing  to  my  father's  delicate  constitution, 
and,  perhaps,  because  he  was  the  Benjamin  of 
the  family,  my  grandfather  would  not  subject 
him  to  the  hardships  of  a  farm,  but  gave  him  a 
liberal  education.  Some  of  the  neighbors  cen- 
sured him  for  this  seeming  extravagance.  But 
wlien  they  found  that  he  still  retained  his 
domestic  comforts,  that  he  met  his  other  liabili- 
ties, and  yet  had  paid  all  his  son's  college  dues, 
and  when  they  saw  throughout  the  life  of  the  old 
gentleman  the  reverence  and  respect  shown  by 
the  son,  who  sought  his  father's  counsel,  shaped 
liis  plans  to  meet  his  approval,  and  even  was 
influenced  in  accepting  the  call  to  Charlestown 
by  the  desire  that  the  two  might  be  near  each 
other,  they  admitted  that  my  grandfather  had 
done  wisely,  and  was  reaping  his  reward.  I 
recall  the  pleausre  I  felt,  Avhen  a  child,  on  seeing 
my  grandfather  arrive  at  our  door,  after  a  ride  on 
horseback,  from  Woodstock,  of  seventy  miles, 
and  their  warm  greeting  and  eager  conversation 
on  the  new  plans  which  my  father's  fruitful  mind 
was  ever  devising. 

His  industry  was  another  prominent  charac- 
teristic. I  remember  him  as  ever  busy.  Through- 
out his  whole  life,  he  had  no  idle  moments.  I 
find  from  his  letters,  too,  that  from  the  day  he 
left  his  father's  house,  till  he  became  too  feeble 
to  act,  the  sun  found  him  no  sluggard,  and  the 
midnight  lamp  often  shone  upon  him  still  at  his 
labors.  He  was  a  man  of  no  amusements  apart 
from  his  business.    Cards,  of  course,  were  never 


286       LKTTEBB  OP  AFFBCTIONATS  BEMEMBBAITCK. 

in  our  house,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  any  game  of  chance.  I  may  add 
here  that  he  never  used  tobacco  in  any  shape. 
His  sufficient  relief  consisted  in  change  of  labor- 
ious occupation.  Though  keenly  alive  to  social 
enjoyments,  he  did  not  suffer  these  to  interfere 
with  positive  duties.  He  always  travelled  with 
note-book  in  hand.  I  remember  him  in  the  boat 
on  the  Erie  canal,  with  a  delightful  party  on 
board,  among  whom  was  De  Witt  Clinton.  He 
allowed  himself  to  be  detained  from  this  pleasant 
company  an  hour  or  more  in  the  cabin,  to  get 
some  information  from  a  passenger,  who  at 
length,  emerging  on  deck,  was  thus  accosted  by 
Mr.  Clinton :  "  Now,  friend,  you  are  like  an 
exhausted  receiver ;  Dr.  Morse  has  pumped  you 
dry." 

I  can  readily  call  him  to  mind,  now  gathering 
materials  for  his  Geography  and  superintending 
its  publication,  now  writing  his  sermons  for  the 
Sabbath,  or  letters  to  his  correspondents  in  our 
own  and  in  foreign  lands,  now  hurrying  to  the 
Convention,  the  Association  or  other  public  meet- 
ing, now  visiting  the  sick  and  bereaved  in  their 
affliction,  and  now  hospitably  entertaining  his 
friends ;  for,  as  Daniel  Webster  said  of  him :  "  He 
was  always  thinking,  always  writing,  always 
talking,  always  acting." 

To  his  children  he  would  say,  when  the  day 
was  ftiir :  "  Now,  boys,  is  the  time  for  study, 
for  all  is  bright  and  cheerful."  And  when  the 
sky  was  dark  and  lowering,  the  word  still  was : 


LETTERS  OF  AFFECTIONATE  EKMEMBBANCE.  287 


"  Study,  boys,  to  drive  away  discontent."  But 
he  had  no  need  to  speak  to  us.  His  own  example 
of  industry  was  reproof  enough,  if  we  were  dis- 
posed to  be  idle. 

Even  in  his  journeys  recreation  must  be  sacri- 
ficed to  business.  His  physician,  referring  to  his 
habit  of  rapid  travelling,  said :  "  He  first  wore 
out  his  mind  in  his  study  at  home,  and  then 
jumped  into  the  stage-coach,  and  rode  day  and 
night  till  his  body  was  exhausted,  and  when  an 
equilibrium  was  thus  produced,  he  pronounced 
himself  well." 

When  persuaded  that  he  was  in  the  way  of 
duty,  he  was  fearless  of  consequences.  He  was 
sometimes  insulted  by  rude  men.  Going  once  to 
cast  his  vote  at  an  election  when  party  politics 
ran  high  and  the  propriety  of  a  clergyman's  vot- 
ing was  questioned,  a  coarse  fellow,  soliciting 
votes  for  the  other  side,  used  offensive  language, 
and  doubling  his  fist  threatened  to  thrust  him 
from  the  polls,  adding :  "  Only  your  cloth  pro- 
tects you."  Looking  his  .antagonist  calmly  in 
the  eye,  he  said  :  "My  friend,  you  are  mistaken, 
my  cloth  protects  you." 

I  always  associate  with  my  father  the  ideas  of 
indomitable  energy  and  irrepressible  buoyancy. 
While  others  doubted  and  were  desponding,  his 
motto  ever  was  nil  desperandum.  Chief  Justice 
Parsons,  referring  to  the  futile  attempts  of  his 
political  opponents  to  destroy  his  influence,  said 
of  him :  "  He  is  like  the  camomile  bed,  the  more 
it  is  trod  upon,  the  more  it  grows." 


288       LETTERS  or  AFFECmONATB  SEICEMBRANCE. 


Though  much  engaged  in  controversy,  his  tem- 
per was  not  pugnacious,  but  his  conscience  com- 
pelled him  to  the  maintenance  of  what  he 
regarded  as  vital  truth.  He  was  providentially 
placed  in  a  prominent  position,  at  a  time  when  a 
revolution  took  place  in  the  theological  world 
around  him.  He  stood  in  the  breach,  and  upon 
him  fell  blows  which  should  have  been  shared  by 
others.  He  would  sometimes  say  pleasantly  of 
those  who  opposed  him,  that  they  unwittingly 
complimented  him  by  ascribing  to  him  alone  the 
Panoplist,  the  General  Association,  the  Andover 
Theological  Seminary,  Park  street  Church  in 
Boston,  and  whatever  like  mischiefs  occurred. 
Dr.  Lyman,  when  visiting  him  in  Charlestown, 
used  to  say :  "  It  matters  not  what  I  do  here.  Dr. 
Morse  will  bear  the  blame." 

Two  persons  more  unlike  than  my  parents  in 
their  temperament,  and  yet  more  affectionately 
united  in  their  lives  could  hardly  be  found.  He 
was  sanguine,  easily  imposed  upon,  prompt  to 
engage  in  whatever  scheme  approved  itself  wor- 
thy, ignoring  difficulty  and  danger.  But  her 
caution  and  cooler  judgment  served  as  a  balance 
wheel  to  his  impulsive  nature,  and  lessened  the 
evils  into  which  such  a  nature  betrayed  him. 
She  sometimes  complained  to  her  friends  that 
but  for  her  restraint  he  would  beggar  himself 
to  bestow  charities  on  others.  Yet,  under  the 
provocation  of  injuries,  her  patience  and  forbear- 
ance gave  way  sooner  than  his.  Says  a  member 
of  his  parish :    "  Hearing  of  a  painful  interview 


LETIERS  OF  AFFECTIOXATE  EEMEMBKANCE.  289 

between  the  pastor  and  disafifected  members  of 
his  church,  I  called  on  him  to  learn  the  particu- 
lars and  relieve  my  anxiety.  The  Doctor  related 
the  facts  in  his  usual  calm  mild  manner;  but  Mrs. 
Morse,  who  sat  by,  less  disposed  than  her  husband 
to  hide  her  displeasure  at  the  unworthy  treat- 
ment he  had  received,  expressed  warm  indigna- 
tion ;  and  when  he  gently  placed  his  hand  on  her 
shoulder  and  said :  *  You  know,  my  dear,  we 
must  cast  the  mantle  of  charity  over  the  faults 
of  others,'  she  replied  with  no  abatement  of  her 
earnestness,  *  Mr.  Morse,  charity  is  not  a  fool.'  " 

He  was  ever  ready  to  use  his  money  and  his 
influence  for  the  good  of  others.  The  poor  found 
in  him  an  active  friend,  and  I  could  mention 
instances  where  he  suffered  loss  himself  rather 
than  it  should  fall  on  those  who  were  less  able 
to  bear  it.  One  who  had  infringed  upon  the 
copyright  of  his  geography  found  him,  in  the 
hour  of  need,  a  friend  and  benefactor. 

His  acquaintance  with  distinguished  men 
abroad  caused  him  to  be  often  applied  to  by  per- 
sons going  to  Europe,  for  letters  of  introduction, 
and  the  thanks  they  sent  him  in  return  show  how 
important  these  letters  were  to  the  bearers,  and 
the  high  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
such  men  as  Dr.  Erskine,  Wilberforce  and  others. 
A  letter  to  Talleyrand,  then  high  in  power,  who 
had 'once  been  a  guest  at  our  house,  procured  for 
the  bearer  very  courteous  reception  and  timely 
aid. 

He  was  a  sweet  singer.    His  study  windows 
25 


290       LETTERS  OF  AFVECTIONATE  BEICEMBBASCB. 

overlooked  Charles  river ;  and  often  of  a  quiet 
Sunday  morning,  as  the  chime  of  hells  in  the 
tower  of  Christ  church,  Boston,  floated  the  tune 
of  "  Old  Portugal "  over  the  water,  I  have  heard 
him  catch  the  inspiration,  take  up  the  notes  and 
shout  aloud : 

"Oh,  could  I  soar  to  worlds  above. 
The  blest  abode  of  peace  and  love." 

He  always  sang  in  the  pulpit,  and  his  rich  sil- 
ver voice  could  be  heard  above  all  others.  Once 
when  the  choir  took  offence  at  some  stricture  he 
made  upon  them,  and  absented  themselves  from 
their  seats  for  several  Sabbaths,  he  took  the 
whole  singing  upon  himself  till  they  returned 
to  their  duty. 

His  religious  character  I  need  hardly  speak  of, 
for  his  whole  life  was  evidence  of  the  sincerity 
of  his  love  to  God  his  Saviour,  and  to  his  fellow 
men.  He  wore  himself  out  in  their  service.  He 
fought  a  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith.  He  will 
ever  live  revered  in  the  memory  of  his  children, 
leaving  an  instructive  example  to  them  and  their 
descendants. 

Yours,  truly, 

RICHARD  C.  MORSE. 
New  Haven,  Ct.,  August  14,  1866. 


XI. 


Letters  of  Personal  Recollections. 

The  following  Letters  form  only  a  selection 
from  a  larger  number  that  have  been  written 
by  Dr.  Morse's  friends,  in  token  of  the  high 
regard  and  veneration  with  which  they  cherish 
his  memory.  As  the  remaining  ones  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  specially  designed  for  pub- 
lication, and  are,  in  the  main,  but  a  repetition 
of  those  which  are  actually  printed,  it  has  been 
thought  best  not  to  include  them,  while  yet 
they  are  regarded,  and  will  be  preserved,  by 
the  family,  as  precious  memorials.  It  will  be 
observed  that,  in  the  letters  that  are  published, 
there  is,  to  some  extent,  the  same  statement 
of  fticts  that  forms  part  of  the  narrative  of  the 
Life  ;  but  as  this  comes  as  the  result  of  the 
actual  observation  and  recollection  of  the  seve- 
ral writers,  in  connection  with  their  own  im- 
pressions concerning  the  facts  in  question,  it  is 
jDresumed  that  it  will  not  be  regarded  as  an 
undesirable  repetition.  The  different  types  of 
religious  opinion,  represented  in  these  letters, 
may  be  taken  as  evidence  that  there  are  still 
those  whose  religious  views  were  in  decided 
antagonism  to  those  of  Dr.  Morse,  who  are  as 


292 


LETTERS  OF  PEBSONAL  EEOOIXECTIONS. 


ready  as  any  others  to  lay  a  grateful  offering 
upon  his  grave. 

From  Benjamin  Silliman,  LL.  D. 

Profe**ar  u»  Yale  OalUge. 

New  Haven,  February  26,  1863. 

To  Mr.  Richard  C.  Morse: 

Dear  Sir: — Your  father's  appearance  in  the 
chapel  was  always  very  acceptable  to  us  stu- 
dents. There  was  an  air  of  gentlemanhood 
about  him  that  was  attractive  and  original.  In 
the  winter  or  cool  weather,  requiring  an  outer 
garment,  he  generally  wore  a  drab  or  slate 
coloured  great-coat,  with  a  silk  velvet  collar 
turned  over;  his  hair,  rather  thin,  was  parted 
80  as  to  cover  his  head,  and  in  public  I  believe 
he  usually  wore  powder,  some  of  which  was 
snowed  down  upon  the  great  coat.  His  aquiline 
nose,  and  rather  sharp  but  very  pleasant 
features,  were  indeed  peculiar,  so  that  his 
entire  appearance  made  an  agreeable  impress- 
ion ;  and  so  different  from  the  plain  garb  and 
manner  of  our  village  clergymen,  that  every 
eye  was  turned  towards  him,  as,  with  a  stately 
mien,  although  with  a  slender  frame,  he  walked 
up  the  main  aisle  of  the  chapel. 

He  was  generally  preceded  on  the  Sabbath 
by  President  Dwight,  whose  massy  stalwart 
form  and  round  features  were  strongly  con- 
trasted with  those  of  his  friend;  but,  together, 
they  made  an  interesting  duality  both  in  mien 


LETTERS  OF  PEKSOXAL  RECOLLECTIONS.  203 


and  appearance.  Concordia  discors  et  Discordin 
concors.  Your  father  had  a  mellifluous  voice, 
and  my  recollection  is  that  he  joined  with  spirit 
in  the  psalmody,  as  President  Dwight  often  did. 

He  was  a  dignified  and  polished  old-school 
gentleman,  and  a  gentleman  everywhere.  His 
elocution  was  calm,  distinct  and  impressive  — 
not  vehement  and  declamatory,  but  attractive 
and  in  excellent  taste,  and  it  always  secured 
the  attention  of  the  students.  An  expression 
which  used  sometimes  to  occur  in  his  prayer 
was,  —  "We  thank  thee.  Heavenly  Father,  that 
thou  hast  given  us  this  large  and  beautiful 
world."  Upon  its  beauty  and  the  rich  garni- 
ture with  which  it  is  so  bountifully  furnished, 
he  was  fond  of  expatiating.  I  remember  a  ser- 
mon of  his,  the  text  of  which  was,  —  '*  The  fash- 
ion of  this  world  passeth  away.*'  In  it  he 
illustrated  the  moral  changes  by  the  physical, 
and  for  this  purpose  he  gave  a  spirited  and 
graphic  sketch  of  certain  geological  changes ; 
and  this  struck  a  chord  of  sympathy,  almost 
unknown  to  myself,  in  my  then  embryo  geo- 
logical mind  and  taste,  which  were  fully  devel- 
oped in  succeeding  years. 

Dr.  Morse  was  well  known  to  the  College  by 
his  Geography,  then  fresh  and  original.  It 
was  a  classic.  I  recited  it  as  a  Pupil,  and  in 
after  years  taught  it  as  a  Tutor.  It  was  esteemed 
very  valuable,  and  the  materials,  rich  and 
abundant,  were  soon  elaborated  into  a  more 
perfect  form  by  your  older  brother. 


294  LETTEB8  OF  FEBSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


In  personal  intercourse  the  manners  of  Dr. 
Morse  were  always  gentle,  polite  and  winning — 
to  youth  peculiarly  paternal,  and  to  older  per 
sons  respectful  and  reverential.  His  voice  and 
manner  were  soothing  in  affliction,  and  in  pros- 
perity bright,  cheerful  and  encouraging. 

When  the  family  arrived  in  New  Haven  with 
a  view  to  a  permanent  residence,  (in  1820  I 
believe,)  they  were  welcomed  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends,  and  the  ladies  of  the  family  made 
the  most  agreeable  impression,  which  was  only 
deepened  by  the  passing  years.  Mrs.  Morse  was 
a  noble  lady,  still  handsome  in  life's  evening, 
and  of  dignified  person  and  manners.  Her 
appearance  was  that  of  a  lady  of  energy  and 
decision,  softened  by  high  courtesy  and  a  mild, 
persuasive  manner.  She  had  evidently  a  pre- 
vailing influence  over  her  husband,  but  exer- 
cised with  such  discretion  and  gentleness  that 
he  perhaps  hardly  perceived  the  delicate  rein 
by  which  he  was  guided.  Both  from  principle 
and  impulse  he  was  prompted  to  benevolent 
acts,  and  his  wife  sometimes  checked  his  too 
free  distribution  of  alms,  especially  to  objects 
that  were  not  always  deserving. 

Dr.  Morse's  first  residence  on  the  corner  of 
Trumbull  street  and  Whitney  avenue,  brought 
our  families  into  desirable  proximity,  and  still 
nearer  in  friendly  intercourse.  Our  ice-house 
was  convenient  to  both  families,  so  that  we 
held  it  in  common ;  and  Mrs.  Morse,  with  a 
vein  of  pleasantry,  used  to  say  that,  in  the 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS.  295 

midst  of  mutual  good  will  and  friendship,  a 
great  coldness  existed  between  the  families.  Mrs. 
Trumbull,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Harriet  Silliman, 
and  the  daughter  herself,  were  much  attached 
to  Mrs.  Morse,  and  enjoyed  her  societj^  highly. 
There  was  also  an  additional  attraction  between 
the  families — Mrs.  S.  F.  B.  Morse,  a  young  lady 
from  Concord,  N.  H.,  came  with  the  group,  as 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Morse's  oldest  son.  She  was 
very  beautiful  in  person,  lovely  in  temper  and 
fascinating  in  manners;  while  her  gentle  nature 
seemed  to  veil  from  herself  those  attractions 
and  accomplishments  which  charmed  every  one. 
Alas,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband  from  home, 
she  was  suddenly  called  away  to  mingle  in 
higher  scenes.  His  affectionate  tribute  to  her 
memory  in  the  inscription  on  her  monument 
in  the  New  Haven  Cemetery,  although  ratlier 
long,  was  so  just  that  no  friend  who  knew  the 
lovely  original,  would  wish  it  shorter.  This 
lady  was  often  the  companion  of  Mrs.  Silliman 
and  myself  in  our  pleasant  rides,  and  Mrs. 
Morse  usually  took  one  of  her  children  with 
her.  She  was  to  us  like  a  daughter,  and  we 
loved  her  with  almost  parental  affection. 

President  Dwight  held  Dr.  Morse  in  high 
esteem,  respect  and  affection,  and  it  is  no  new 
thing  that  persons  of  different  temperament 
and  mental  character  should  thus  happily 
coalesce  in  harmonious  unity.  President 
Dwight's  bold  and  sometimes  impetuous  mind, 
prompted  by  his  ardent  but  noble  tempera- 


296  I£TTEB8  OF  FEB80NAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


ment,  bore  him  along  with  prevailing  weight 
and  power.  He  found  an  acceptable  counter- 
part in  the  milder  attributes  of  his  friend ;  a 
friend  ever  responsive  to  the  calls,  the  duties, 
the  pleasures  of  friendship ;  ever  ingenious, 
active  and  devoted  to  the  furtherance  of  some 
good  and  worthy  purpose  in  which  both  friends 
could  harmonize,  and  for  whose  success  they 
could  unite  in  supplicating  the  blessing  of  God. 
In  a  word,  they  were  truly  Christian  friends. 

The  mind  of  Dr.  Morse  found  its  highest  gra- 
tification, not  in  self-indulgent  repose,  but  in 
almost  ceaseless  activity  for  the  promotion  of 
the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men.  His  plans  were 
quietly  formed,  and  the  steps  of  their  progress 
towards  their  consummation  were  not  always 
apparent.  In  adroit  management  he  had  both 
talent  and  taste,  and  he  seemed  to  take  plea- 
sure in  the  progress  as  well  as  in  the  result 
of  a  good  undertaking.  What  might  have  been 
intrigue  in  a  cold  and  selfish  mind,  was  benevo- 
lence in  him,  in  whom  the  love  of  his  fellow 
men  and  the  reverential  fear  of  God  were 
mature  and  fixed  habits. 

A  great  object  of  benevolence  occupied  him 
during  the  later  years  of  his  life,  while  he 
resided  in  New  Haven.  It  was  a  favourite  pur- 
pose of  his  to  induce  the  General  Government 
to  collect  the  scattered  and  broken  fragments 
of  the  Aboriginal  Indian  tribes,  and  to  form 
them,  upon  a  territory  held  in  common,  into  a 
regular,  civilized  and  Christianized  community. 


LETTERS  OF  PERSOXAL  RECOLLECTIONS,  297 


Ilis  pen  and  his  tongue  were  industriously 
employed  upon  this  subject.  He  sought  and 
obtained  valuable  information  respecting  the 
Indians  from  many  sources,  and  thus  amassed 
a  large  collection  of  documents,  most  of  which 
were  original. 

lie  lived  to  see  himself  and  his  family  agree- 
ably established  in  a  house  of  their  own  in 
Temple  street,  where  he  closed  his  life.  I  saw 
him  on  his  death-bed,  and  received  his  assu- 
rance that,  in  the  contemplation  of  death,  he 
had  "a  hope  full  of  immortality;'*  and  this 
consoling  sentiment  was  uttered  Avith  a  clear 
and  strong  voice,  and  with  a  benignant  expres- 
sion of  countenance  that  testified  to  the  peace 
within. 

I  have  thus  endeavoured  to  comply  with 
your  request,  and  remain 

Your  faithful  friend, 

B.  SILLTMAN. 

From  the  Rev.  Daniel  Dana,  D.  D. 

Newburyport,  January  18,  1848. 

To  Mr.  R.  C.  Morse: 

Dear  Sir:  —  I  had  some  general  knowledge 
concerning  your  venerable  father,  when  he 
first  came  to  Charlestown,  though  I  was  then 
a  youth.  In  the  year  1793,  he  had  occasion 
to  take^a  journey,  and  was  pleased  to  employ 
me,  then  a  candidate,  to  supply  his  pulpit,  and 


298  LETTERS  OF  PEKSOXAL  REOOLLECTIOXS. 


to  perform  the  requisite  duties  among  his  peo- 
ple during  his  absence.  From  that  time  I  was 
favoured  with  a  more  particular  acquaintance, 
and  with  a  portion  of  his  friendship  to  the  time 
of  his  decease. 

From  his  first  coming  into  this  region,  he 
was  an  unusually  acceptable  and  popular 
preacher.  His  sermons,  being  fraught  with 
evangelical  truth,  composed  in  an  elegant  style, 
and  delivered  in  a  manner  bland  vet  forcible, 
engaged  general  attention.  Wliile  chiefly  intent 
on  inculcating  and  defending  Gospel  truth,  he 
took  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  concerned  his 
country.  His  Fast  and  Thanksgiving  Sermons 
were  often  replete  with  instruction  and  warn- 
ing, derived  from  the  existing  aspects  of  the 
world,  and  particularly  from  the  excesses  and 
atrocities  of  the  French  Revolution,  and  from 
the  Infidelity  and  Atheism  which  seemed  for 
years  to  incorporate  themselves  with  it. 

The  year  1803  was  marked  by  the  decease 
of  his  friend.  Dr.  Tappan,  the  excellent  Pro- 
fessor of  Divinity  in  Harvard  College,  and  by 
an  attempt  to  introduce  Dr.  Ware,  a  gentle- 
man of  very  difl*erent  theological  character. 
Your  father  took  a  very  active  part  against  the 
new  election.  This  measure  brought  on  him 
much  odium,  especiall}'^  from  the  Liberal  parti/, 
as  they  were  styled  at  that  time.  Yet  the  pre- 
vailing opinion  was  that  Dr.  Ware  had  embraced 
the  liberal  system,  and  that,  in  opposing  his 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  KECOLLECTIONS.  299 


election,  your  father  acted  a  very  sincere  and 
consistent  part. 

Perceiving  that  a  lax  theology  was  gaining 
great  prevalence,  and  apprehending  much  dan- 
ger of  its  approaching  triumph,  your  father 
projected,  in  1805,  the  plan  of  the  Panoplist. 
The  design  of  this  journal  was  to  raise  the 
standard  of  piety,  to  oppose  prevailing  error, 
and  to  unite  good  ministers  and  good  men  in 
defence  of  the  pure  truths  of  the  Gospel.  In 
pursuing  this  object,  your  father,  while  receiv- 
ing counsel  and  aid  from  his  most  valued' breth- 
ren among  the  clergy  and  laity,  was  himself 
the  heart  and  soul  of  the  undertaking.  With 
the  countenance  and  co-operation  which  he 
received,  he  conducted,  for  five  years,  a  jour- 
nal, which,  in  point  of  orthodoxy  and  piety, 
of  learning  and  good  taste,  holds  a  respectable 
rank  at  the  present  day.  Nor  was  its  influence 
small  in  checking  the  prevalence  of  error,  and 
promoting  the  progress  of  truth  and  piety. 
About  the  year  1810,  it  Avas  transferred  to  the 
beloved  and  lamented  Evarts,  by  whom  its 
design  was  very  faithfully  pursued,  and  its 
usefulness  still  further  extended. 

Your  father  was  an  active  and  efficient  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Phillips  Acad- 
emy, in  Andover.  The  importance  and  respon- 
sibilities of  this  Board  were,  in  the  year  1808, 
greatly  increased  by  having  committed  to  it 
the  care  and  superintendence  of  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  that  place.   The  circumstances 


300  LETTERS  OP  PERSOXAIi  RE0OLX.ECTIOX8. 


under  which  the  Seminary  commenced  its  exist- 
ence, are  worthy  of  notice.  Two  companies  of 
opulent  and  generous  donors,  in  distant  parts 
of  the  county  of  Essex,  were,  at  the  same  time, 
and  without  any  mutual  disclosures,  meditating 
the  establishment  of  a  Theological  School. 
When  the  separate  designs  were  mutually 
known,  a  question  was  to  be  settled  of  the 
deepest  interest,  —  the  question  whether  the 
parties  should  proceed  separately  or  in  union. 
The  question  was  long  and  anxiously  discussed; 
and  as  it  was  discussed  with  Christian  feeling 
and  candour,  the  plan  of  combination  and  union 
prevailed.  This  was  the  favourite  plan  of 
your  father,  and,  from  its  adoption,  his  feelings 
experienced  the  highest  gratification. 

Your  father  was  one  of  the  earliest  members 
of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions.  In  its  great  desigus  and 
operations  his  expansive  benevolence  found 
full  scope.  He  had  long  witnessed  with  inter- 
est the  exertions  of  British  Christians  in  this 
sublime  cause,  and  .ardently  wished  that  his 
own  beloved  country  might  share  in  the  benevo- 
lence and  felicity  of  the  work.  And  he  devo- 
ted himself  with  his  characteristic  ardour  to  its 
promotion. 

To  your  father  belongs  the  honour  of  project- 
ing and  establishing  a  weekly  religious  journal, 
the  Recorder,  which,  if  it  was  not,  in  the  strict- 
est sense,  the  first  work  of  the  kind,  was  yet  a 
work  truly  original,  and  in  a  measure  unprece- 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS.  301 


dented.  I  well  remember  the  discouragements 
which  met  him,  while  planning  the  publication. 
Some  apprehended  that  it  would  fail  for  want 
of  support.  Others,  that  it  would  be  dilhcult, 
if  not  impossible,  to  find  or  furnish  the  mate- 
rial. But  3'our  father,  with  his  usual  ardour, 
determined  to  proceed ;  and  what  he  attempted, 
he  accomplished.  The  publication  soon  attained 
a  highly  respectable  character  and  an  extensive 
support.  It  had  great  success  in  promoting  the 
religious  enterprises  of  the  day.  Since  its  first 
establishment  it  has  gone  into  various  hands, 
and  been  conducted  with  various  success.  It  is 
remarkable  that  its  most  successful  rival,  in 
point  of  merit  and  usefulness,  is  now  sustained 
in  the  family  of  the  original  projector. 

Indeed,  few  men  have  lived  in  the  last  or  the 
present  century,  who  have  been  so  uniformly 
and  exemplarily  devoted  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  human  race.  Whatever  object,  what- 
ever design,  bore  the  stamp  of  benevolence^  seized 
his  heart  and  enlisted  his  actual  efforts.  Nor 
could  he  stand  aloof  from  any  cause  which 
connected  itself  with  the  glory  of  God  or  the 
good  of  man. 

If  the  above  hints  concerning  your  revered 
father  shall  be  of  the  least  service,  I  shall  be 
gratified.  They  are  much  more  meagre  than  I 
could  have  wished ;  and  they  have  been  penned 
under  the  somewhat  unpleasant  apprehension 
that  I  could  offer  nothing  which  is  not  already 


26 


302  JLETTEBS  OP  PERSONikL  BEOOLLECnONS. 


known  at  least  to  your  father's  friends,  if  not 
to  the  public  generally. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  Sir, 
With  great  regard. 
Your  friend,  and  your  father's  friend, 

DANIEL  DANA. 

From  Miss  Lucy  Osgood. 

Medford,  June  4,  1860. 

Mr.  R.  C.  Morse  : 

Dear  Sir :  —  After  seeing  you  last  Monday,  I 
recollected  a  source  of  information  concerning 
your  father,  new  probably  to  yourself,  which, 
in  a  measure,  supersedes  the  trifling  communi- 
cation it  is  in  my  power  to  afford.  The  Rev. 
Thomas  Whittemore,  for  many  years  the  Uni- 
versalist  clergyman  of  Cambridge,  and  also 
Editor  of  that  widely  circulated  Universalist 
newspaper,  called  the  "  Trumpet,"  published, 
a  year  or  two  since,  his  autobiography,  in 
which  he  reports  himself  to  have  been  the  son 
of  a  baker  in  Charlestown,  a  man  of  slender 
health,  who  died  in  early  life,  leaving  his  liimily 
very  poor.  He  was  a  constant  attendant  on 
your  father's  ministry,  and  experienced  from 
him,  in  his  last  illness,  a  token  of  pastoral  kind- 
ness and  generosity,  rarely  recorded  of  any 
clergyman.  This  poor  man  was  sued  for  a  debt 
exceeding  a  hundred  dollars,  which  he  had 
incurred  in  the  necessary  purchase  of  flour  for 
his  business  during  the  war  of  1812,  when  the 


LETTERS  OF  PERSOXAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


303 


price  of  the  staff  of  life  was  excessive.  Your 
fjither  found  him  in  great  distress,  and,  upon 
learning  the  cause  of  it,  at  once  relieved  him 
by  promptly  offering  to  become  his  surety.  If 
I  remember  rightly,  there  are  two  other  notices 
of  Dr.  Morse  in  the  same  work — one  describing 
most  correctly  his  personal  appearance  and 
manners,  and  the  other  his  calm  demeanor 
during  an  alarming  thunder  tempest,  on  Sun- 
day afternoon,  in  sermon  time. 

My  own  remembrance  of  your  father  goes 
back  to  my  earliest  years.  He  was  one  whom, 
even  when  a  child,  I  always  loved  to  see,  as, 
from  time  to  time,  he  visited  at  our  house.  It 
is,  therefore,  a  fair  inference  that  he  must  have 
been  very  kind  to  children.  Indeed,  the  bland 
softness  of  his  whole  deportment  was  rather 
antagonistic  to  the  pugnacious  attitude  in  which 
he  often  stood  before  the  public.  But  this  pro- 
ceeded from  a  sense  of  duty,  from  his  zealous 
anxiety  that  the  churches  should  remain  sound 
in  the  orthodox  faith.  The  contests  in  which 
he  was  so  often  engaged,  seldom  affected  his 
outward  bearing,  as  he  entered  into  them  rather 
from  principle  than  from  the  gratification  of  a 
hot  temper. 

I  look  back  upon  him  as  a  perfect  gentleman, 
of  peculiarly  attractive  manners,  which  were 
greatly  aided  by  a  low  sweet  voice,  yet  of  great 
compass,  as  it  was  heard  without  difficulty  when 
he  spoke  in  public,  and,  whenever  he  sang,  was 
capable  of  filling  the  largest  churches  with  its 


304  IfTTEBS  OF  PERSONAL  REOOLXfCTIONS. 


melody,  overtopping  all  the  instrumental  mnsic, 
and  drowning  in  its  rich  peculiar  tones  the 
voices  of  any  common  choir.  He  must  have 
been  fond,  I  think,  of  the  society  of  the  young, 
as  my  sister  and  I  were  never  disappointed  in 
our  expectation  of  being  specially  noticed  by 
him.  And  he,  by  no  means,  neglected  what 
he  considered  the  duty  of  warning  and  admon- 
ishing, as  he  observed  in  us  a  tendency  towards 
what  seemed  to  him  latitudinarianism.  I  remem- 
ber receiving  from  him  a  very  tender,  but 
deeply  solemn,  reproof  for  expressing  my  fer- 
vent assent  to  the  Rev.  Noah  Worcester's 
"Bible  News,"  soon  after  it  was  published.  He 
assured  me  that  the  first  step  of  deviation 
from  the  old  orthodox  faith  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  descent  down  an  inclined  plane 
towards  the  bottomless  pit. 

His  conversation,  however,  was  by  no  means 
confined  to  the  discussion  of  theological  dog- 
mas. It  took  in  a  wide  range  of  subjects,  and 
was  garnished  with  even  more  than  the  usual 
clerical  amount  of  anecdote.  His  extensive 
travels  in  quest  of  geographical  information 
had  made  him  acquainted  not  only  with  places, 
but  with  a  vast  variety  of  people.  He  narrated 
extremely  well.  If  he  did  not  originate,  he 
faithfully  reported  and  highly  enjoyed  wit  and 
humour,  and  hence  always  made  himself  agree- 
able. I  once  met  him  at  the  bedside  of  a  dying 
relative  who  lived  in  Charlestown,  and  I  was 
extremely  touched  by  his  overflowing  sympa- 


LETTERS  OF  PERSON^VL  RECX)LX,ECnON8.  305 


thy  and  tenderness.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  soothing.  Before  commending  her  depart- 
ing soul  to  God,  he  carefully  inquired  whether 
there  was  any  special  petition  which  she  wished 
him  to  offer,  particularly  whether  she  wished 
him  at  that  hour  to  make  mention  of  a  darling 
son  in  a  foreign  land,  from  Avhom  she  had  been 
separated  several  years. 

Of  his  style  of  preaching  I  retain  no  distinct 
impression,  as  neither  my  earlier  nor  later 
biases  were  in  harmony  with  his  theological 
tenets;  yet  few  of  my  departed  friends  have 
left  with  me  clearer  images  of  their  personal 
appearance  or  of  their  individualit}'  in  social 
converse.  His  tall,  slender  form,  the  head 
always  slightly  inclining  forwards,  his  ex- 
tremely neat  dress,  mild  manners  and  persua- 
sive tones,  aided  by  the  charm  of  that  perfect 
good  breeding  which  inspires  even  the  rudest 
with  a  sense  of  respect  for  the  true  gentleman, 
made  him  in  all  places  a  most  acceptable  guest, 
while  his  own  house  was  always  celebrated  as 
the  very  home  of  hospitality.  Foreigners  very 
extensively  brought  letters  of  introduction  to 
Dr.  Morse,  and,  though  his  kindness  of  heart 
sometimes  exposed  him  to  imposition,  he  often 
had  the  opportunity  of  yielding  efficient  ser- 
vice to  estimable  and  meritorious  characters. 
In  his  duties  as  a  host,  his  admirable  wife  zeal- 
ously co-operated,  making  his  home  attractive 
to  visiters  of  every  description,  by  her  cordial, 
dignified  and  graceful  manners,  and  her  anima- 


306  LETTERS  OP  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


ted  conversation.  She  was  indeed  distinguished 
-  for  possessing,  in  an  eminent  degree,  both  the 
fascination  and  the  virtues  which  most  adorn 
a  woman. 

If  these  very  meagre  reminiscences  can  be 
of  any  service  to  you,  I  make  you  heartily 
welcome  to  them,  and  sincerely  thank  you  for 
having  given  me  the  opportunity  to  revive,  in 
my  own  mind,  the  image  of  a  venerated  friend 
of  my  father,  whom  I  have  always  remembered 
with  affection. 

Respectfully  yours, 

L.  OSGOOD. 

From  the  Rev.  Leonard  Bacon,  D.  D. 

New  Haven,  November  15,  18G6. 

Rev.  Wm.  B.  Sprague,  D.  D.  i 

Dear  Sir:  —  My  first  sight  of  Dr.  Morse  was 
in  my  boyhood.  I  had  read  with  wonder,  and 
not  without  some  advantage,  years  before,  the 
two  thick  octavo  volumes  of  his  Universal 
Geography.  That  was  almost  the  first  con- 
siderable book  which  I  had  the  opportunity 
of  reading  after  the  Bible ;  and  though,  at  that 
early  age,  (between  my  seventh  year  and  my 
tenth),  the  knowledge  which  I  gained  from  it 
without  the  aid  of  an  atlas,  and  with  no  teacher 
but  my  mother,  was  much  less  than  that  which 
children  now  acquire  in  a  good  school  from  a 
much  smaller  text-book,  I  was  profoundly 
impressed  with  the  greatness  of  the  man  who 


LETTERS  OF  PEKSOXAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


307 


could  write  so  great  a  book.  In  September, 
1816,  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions  held  its  seventh  annual 
session  at  Hartford ;  and  though  the  business 
of  the  session  was  transacted  in  private,  there 
was  one  public  meeting  in  which  the  Annual 
Sermon  was  preceded,  or  followed,  by  the  read- 
ing of  extracts  from  the  report  of  the  Pruden- 
tial Committee.  Of  the  eminent  men  who 
appeared  in  Dr.  Strong's  pulpit  on  that  occa- 
sion, the  one  upon  whom  I  looked  most  intently 
was  the  author  of  the  great  Geography.  From 
that  time  I  always  retained  a  vivid  remem- 
brance of  his  spare  figure,  his  thin  face,  his 
keen  eyes,  and  his  white  hair,  my  memory 
being  refreshed  by  seeing  him  once  or  twice 
within  the  next  four  years  in  the  chapel  pul- 
pit of  Yale  College. 

My  nearer  acquaintance  with  him  commenced 
while  I  was  a  theological  student  at  Andover. 
I  happened  to  be  a  fellow-traveller  with  him 
in  a  stage-coach,  performing  a  night  journey 
between  Boston  and  Hartford ;  and,  of  course, 
as  a  young  man  unknown  to  him,  (being  then 
not  twenty  years  old,)  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  him  with  very  little  of  the  perspec- 
tive in  which  "  distance  lends  enchantment  to 
the  view,"  and  of  experiencing  something  of 
his  kindness  and  affability  toward  the  young, 
and  of  his  old  school  courtesy  toward  strangers. 

Three  years  afterwards,  in  the  autumn  of 
1824,  I  came  to  supply,  for  a  few  Sabbaths,  the 


308 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  KECOLLECTIOXS. 


pulpit  of  ihe  First  Church  in  New  Haven.  Dr. 
Morse  had,  in  the  mean  time,  removed  from 
Charlestown  to  this  city  ;  and  having  connected 
himself  with  the  First  Church,  was  one  of  the 
venerable  and  distinguished  men  who  gave 
character  to  the  congregation,  and  whose  pres- 
ence had  something  of  awe  in  it  for  a  young 
preacher.  He  was  very  kind  in  his  judgment 
of  me,  estimating  my  performances  above  their 
worth,  and  interesting  himself  in  the  move- 
ment which  fixed  me  here.  He  presided  in 
the  meeting  of  the  Church  when  I  was  elected 
to  the  pastoral  office.  And  when,  in  March, 
1825,  I  entered  on  my  work,  he  gave  me  a 
most  paternal  welcome  ;  and,  though  ex-minis- 
ters are  sometimes  thought  to  be  dangerous 
parishioners,  I  had  no  better  parishioners,  none 
more  kind,  none  more  ready  to  hold  up  the 
hands  of  the  inexperienced  pastor,  than  he  and 
his  excellent  wife,  so  long  as  they  lived. 

Dr.  Morse  seemed  then  much  older  than  other 
men  of  the  same  age.  AVhen  he  told  me  that 
Judge  Daggett,  who  had  not  then  become  a  judge, 
being  in  the  full  activity  of  his  practice  at  the 
bar,  was  a  classmate  of  his,  I  could  hardly  be- 
lieve him.  I  think  he  was  prematurely  old. 
His  mind  was  active  ;  he  seemed  full  of  literary 
enterprise,  and  of  schemes  for  doing  good ;  but, 
if  I  judge  correctly,  "  his  natural  force,"  the 
executive  energy  which  he  had  so  much  of  in 
his  earlier  years,  was  somewhat  "abated."  He 
was  full  of  conversation,  and  overflowing  with 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


309 


recollections  of  old  times  and  of  times  more 
recent ;  he  was  as  well  informed  of  Avhat  was 
then  going  on  in  the  world,  as  he  could  have 
been  when  he  was  most  actively  concerned  in 
public  affairs;  but  his  whole  appearance  was 
that  of  an  old  man  who  has  done  his  work,  and 
in  Avhom,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  the  phy- 
sical force  of  earlier  years  is  graduall}-^  failing. 

Some  notes  of  the  sermon  preached  at  his 
funeral,  June  11,  1826,  help  me  to  recollect  the 
impressions  which  I  then  had  concerning  him^ 
My  thought  of  his  religious  character  was  that, 
being  grounded  on  a  definite  understanding  and 
firm  belief  of  evangelical  truth,  it  had  been 
marked  by  steadiness  and  calmness  of  Christian 
experience.  Having  intelligently  embraced  the 
faith  while  he  was  young,  he  kept  it  to  the  end  ; 
and  it  sustained  him  through  the  labours  and 
conflicts  of  his  riper  manhood,  and  the  infirmi- 
ties of  his  declining  years.  The  faith  which  he 
held,  as  a  believer  in  Christ,  was  the  impelling 
force  in  a  life  of  active  usefulness.  He  seems 
to  have  been  one  of  those  who  begin  their 
Christian  course  in  the  devout  purpose  of  serv- 
ing God  by  doing  good^  The  age  in  which  he 
lived  was  not  less  important  in  its  relations  to 
the  future  than  the  age  now  passing,  and  he 
threw  himself  with  all  his  force  into  the  ques- 
tions and  movements  of  the  time.  No  contro- 
versy could  arise,  but  he  must  have  a  part  in  it. 
No  hopeful  enterprise  could  be  proposed  for  the 
advancement  of  religion,  or  for  the  public  good 


310  LETTERS  OP  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 


in  any  form,  but  he  went  into  it  with  charac- 
teristic forwardness.  Nor  did  he  wait  for  such 
enterprises  to  be  projected  or  proposed  by  oth- 
ers; he  was  always  devising  schemes  and 
methods  of  his  own  for  doing  good.  He  had 
by  nature  a  restless  energy  of  mind  which  must 
be  always  planning  and  doing,  and  to  which  re- 
pose was  irksome ;  and  he  had  trained  himself, 
from  his  youth  up,  to  a  habit  of  industry  which 
seized  on  every  occasion  and  gathered  up  every 
fragment  of  time.  It  Avas  his  prayer  that  he 
might  not  outlive  his  usefulness  ;  and  while  he 
rejoiced,  as  he  often  said,  to  see  the  young  men 
coming  forward  and  standing  in  the  places  of 
the  fathers,  he  felt  that  for  him  the  fight  was 
not  fought  through  till  his  course  should  be  fin- 
ished, and  that  so  long  as  he  had  any  strength 
he  must  do  something. 

T  cannot  think  that  these  few  recollections 
will  add  anything  to  your  knowledge  of  the 
man ;  but,  such  as  they  are,  they  are  at  your 
service. 

Youi's,  truly, 

LEONARD  BACON. 


UETTTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOTXFXmOXS.  311 


♦From  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  D.D. 

PiTTSFiELD,  May  21,  1855. 

Dear  Dr.  Sprague  : 

I  was  a  boy,  perhaps  fourteen  years  old,  when 
I  first  saw  Dr.  Morse.  He  was  then  the  pastor 
over  the  old  church  and  society  in  Charlestown. 
As  I  was  then  living  with  my  cousin,  Jeremiah 
Evarts,  who  was  a  member  of  Dr.  Morse's  church 
and  a  very  particular  friend,  I  was,  therefore, 
often  at  his  house  on  errands.  Moreover,  as  I 
sat  under  his  ministry  for  several  years,  and  as 
I  first  made  a  profession  of  religion  at  about  the 
age  of  fifteen  under  him,  I  had  a  good  opportunity 
to  know  him  well  as  a  teacher,  friend  and  guide, 
and  to  receive  such  impressions  •  as  would  be 
natural  to  a  boy  of  my  age.  It  is  such  impres- 
sions only  that  I  now  propose  to  give. 

I  recall  him  as  I  remember  him  in  the  pulpit, 
and  in  the  social  circle.  On  the  canvass  of  the 
memory  his  form  stands  out  before  me,  tall,  slight, 
graceful,  and  a  little  stooping,  as  he  rises  in  the 
pulpit  on  the  Sabbath  morning.  His  countenance 
is  uncommonly  mild  and  benignant, — his  face  is 
rather  long,  pale  and  careworn, — his  forehead 
high  and  fair.  His  hair  is  thin,  white,  silky, 
dressed  with  great  care,  and  I  think  neatly  pow- 
dered.   His  eye  runs  over  the  congregation 

•  This  letter  was  ori^nally  written  to  accompanj  the  biographical 
sketch  of  Dr.  Morse  in  the  "  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit "  (vol.  11, 
page  253).   It  is  reprinted  here  hj  special  permission. 


312         LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONa. 

quickly,  and,  though  mild  and  gentle,  I  presume 
it  instantly  takes  in  every  full  pew,  and  every 
vacant  pew,  and  every  stranger,  in  his  large 
church  edifice.    It  is  an  eye  that  unites  the 
gentle,  the  bright  and  the  quick  in  an  uncommon 
degree.    His  voice  is  soft,  mild  and  musical, 
though  on  too  high  a  key  and  not  of  great  com- 
pass.   Perhaps  it  comes  too  near  to  the  term 
chanting ;  not  that  it  is  unpleasant,  but  that  it 
lacks  depth,  compass  and  power.    In  delivering 
the  sermon,  which  he  always  writes  out  in  full, 
and  which  lies  before  him  in  its  black  morocco 
case,  he  seems  to  aim  to  win,  draw  and  persuade 
rather  than  to  overwhelm  with  argument,  or 
drive  by  the  awfulness  of  manner  or  m>.tter. 
Though  all  my  remembrances  of  his  preaching  are 
only  pleasurable,  yet  I  cannot  now  recall  striking 
things,  peculiar  things,  or  odd  things,  that  he  says 
in  the  pulpit.  He  never  cultivates  prongs.  He  has 
the  appearance  of  a  venerable  and  most  affection- 
ate father,  addressing  his  children,  rather  than  a 
reprover  rebuking  evil  doers,  or  a  judge  reading 
from  his  scroll  the  condemnation  of  the  guilty. 
He  loves  rather  to  pluck  the  roses  that  grow  on 
Mount  Zion,  than  to  handle  the  thorns  which 
cluster  around  Sinai.    I  can  recall  no  one  thing 
M  hich  I  ever  heard  him  say  in  the  pulpit,  which 
left  an  unpleasant  impression,  nor  can  I  recall 
many  that  pricked  like  goads  and  left  their 
impression  upon  the  conscience,  like  a  nail  fixed 
in  a  sure  place.    His  mild,  beaming  face  and 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  EECOLLECTIOXS.  313 


melodious  voice  do  much  to  cover  up  asperities, 
should  there  be  any. 

In  his  dress,  personal  appearance  and  manners, 
Dr.  Morse  still  stands  before  the  eye  as  a  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school.  lie  wears  a  long  coat  and 
fu]l  vest  of  the  day,  small  clothes  with  buckles 
at  the  knee,  black  silk  stockings  and  nicely  pol- 
ished shoes.  His  neckcloth  is  of  snowy  white- 
ness, and  his  gloves  black  silk,  with  the  tips  of 
the  fingers  cut  off.  When  he  walks  the  street 
with  his  gold-headed  cane,  his  tall  and  graceful 
form  and  his  whole  appe.arance  point  him  out  to 
a  stranger  as  a  gentleman  in  all  his  habits.  His 
manners  are  highly  polished,  and  he  has  uncom- 
mon conversational  powers.  Having  a  personal 
acquaintance  all  over  the  country,  in  correspond- 
ence abroad  with  such  men  as  Wilberforce, 
Zachary  Macaulay  and  Dr.  Erskine,  having  a 
memory  which  is  a  vast  repository  of  informa- 
tion, individual  history  and  anecdote,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable 
of  men  in  conversation.  At  his  day,  before  the 
religious  press  had  become  a  power,  or  had  hardly 
an  existence,  men  had  more  intercourse  by  corre- 
spondence and  by  personal  interviews  than  now. 

He  lived  before,  rather  than  behind  his  age, 
and  there  was  no  great  and  good  enterprise 
moved,  whether  through  the  press.  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  Theological  Seminary,  Educa- 
tion Society,  or  Foreign  Missions,  where  he  was 
not  foremost.  I  remember  with  what  energy  he 
took  hold  of  the  first  religious  newspaper  ever 
27 


314         IJBTTEBS  OP  PERSONAL  RE0OIXBCTION8. 

published  in  the  land — The  Recorder — started  and 
brought  into  existence  by  his  son,  Sidney  E. 
Morse,  and  that  he  took  upon  himself  the  pecuni- 
ary responsibility,  when  otherwise  the  enter- 
prise would  have  failed. 

At  a  day  when  strong  men  were  smiting  the 
rock  to  draw  out  the  waters  of  the  many  rivers 
which. now  make  glad  the  city  of  our  God,  there 
had  to  be,  of  necessity,  a  great  amount  of  consul- 
tation, discussion  and  planning.  All  the  great 
benevolent  institutions  of  the  land  were  organ- 
ized almost  simultaneously.  At  that  day,  too, 
hospitality  was  a  greater,  or  certainly  a  more 
common  virtue  than  now,  and  the  house  of  Dr. 
Morse  was  always  full.  Living  in  the  centre  of 
the  town,  within  a  few  minutes'  walk  of  Boston, 
and  keeping  open  doors,  he  had  no  lack  of  com- 
pany. 

Mrs.  Morse,  too,  was  a  noble  specimen  of  a 
woman.  And  here  let  me  say,  that  if  we  men 
who  toil  out  amid  the  storms  of  life,  and  whose 
works  are  noisy,  seen  and  known, — if  we  accom- 
plish anything  of  value,  it  is  often,  if  not  gen- 
erally, fully  as  much  owing  to  the  encourage- 
ment and  aid  we  receive  from  those  who  are 
not  seen,  known  or  praised,  as  to  our  own  efforts. 
Mrs.  Morse  was  the  first  woman  that  ever  gave 
me  the  full  impression  of  what  a  wife  and  mother 
can  be.  Her  sons  were  then  with  her,  and  the 
genius  and  enterprise  that  have  since  been  mani- 
fested through  the  press,  authorship,  the  pencil 
of  the  artist,  and  the  telegraph  wires,  were  then 


LETTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS.  315 

beginning  to  show  themselves.  An  orphan  my- 
self, and  never  having  known  a  home,  many  a 
time  have  I  gone  away  from  Dr.  Morse's  house 
in  tears,  feeling  that  such  a  home  must  be  more 
like  Heaven  than  any  of  which  I  could  conceive. 

The  inventor  of  the  Telegraph, — that  marvel 
which  will  carry  his  name  down  to  the  end  of 
time,  which  will  do  more  to  civilize  and  elevate 
humanity  than  we  can  now  conceive, — had  just 
returned  from  Europe,  where  he  had  been  to  com- 
plete his  professional  studies.  One  of  the  first 
things  he  did,  on  his  return,  was  to  paint  his 
mother,  reading  by  candle  light.  It  was  a  small 
picture,  and  though  I  saw  it  in  a  room  contain- 
ing "The  dying  Hercules,"  and  the  like,  yet  it 
was  the  only  picture  I  saw.  It  made  my  flesh 
creep.  It  might  not  do  so  now,  but  I  have  seen 
many  paintings  since,  and  never  one  that  made 
the  impression  on  me  which  that  did.  Was  it 
the  picture  or  my  youth  ?  Or  does  every  one 
receive  such  an  impression  from  some  one  picture  ? 
Alas !  the  apple  we  eat  in  boyhood  will  never  be 
the  same  when  plucked  by  manhood. 

Mrs.  Morse  did  her  full  share  in  managing  the 
domestic  affairs  of  the  family,  in  receiving  and 
entertaining  her  numerous  guests,  and  in  making 
her  house  what  the  people  were  wont  to  call  "a 
public  place,  though  not  a  tavern."  Her  house 
was  open  to  all,  and  seldom  did  I  go  there,  as  I 
often  went  on  errands,  without  finding  it  full. 
It  was  a  hospitality  beyond  anything  I  have  ever 
seen.  Without  detracting  a  whit  from  the  father, 


316         I^KFTERS  OF  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS. 

I  feel  that  the  mother  of  the  Morses  deserves  to 
be  held  in  most  honorable  memory.  If  she  made 
impression  on  them  in  proportion  as  she  did  on 
me,  her  influence  in  forming  their  characters 
must  have  been  very  great. 

Dr.  Morse  lived  before  his  times,  and  was  in 
advance  of  his  generation.  So  I  thought  when  a 
boy,  and  so  I  think  now.  Others  will  speak  on 
these  points ;  I  am  only  recalling  the  impressions 
which  I  received.  I  well  remember  attending 
the  first  meeting  ever  held  in  that  region,  to 
organize  a  Sabbath  School.  Dr.  Morse  was  the 
mover  in  it,  and  I  was  a  teacher  from  its  very 
opening.  I  remember  him  as  he  stood  at  the 
weekly  meetings  in  the  chapel  in  his  garden, — 
his  tender  intercourse  with  young  converts, — and 
as  he  stood  at  the  communion  table,  and  with  the 
affection  of  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  brake 
bread  to  his  flock.  Those  who  agreed  with  him 
in  doctrinal  belief,  loved  and  revered  him  as  a 
father, — those  who  did  not,  were  anything  but 
cordial.  His  friends  were  warm  and  so  were  his 
enemies.  He  lived  in  a  transition  day,  when  old 
things  were  crumbling  away  and  new  elements 
were  combining  and  crystallizing;  when  opinions 
had  to  be  weighed  and  tried;  when  every  part 
of  the  character  was  put  to  rack,  and  when  things 
which  are  now  known  to  be  small  and  of  little 
consequence  looked  large.  It  is  no  wonder  if  a 
ship,  rolling  and  tossing  on  those  stormy  waters, 
should  be  made  to  reveal  all  the  weaknesses  she 
had.    But  when  the  time  comes,  if  ever  it  shall 


IjEtters  of  personal  recoixections.  317 

come,  when  the  men  of  that  generation  shall  be 
impartially  estimated,  I  have  no  doubt  but  it  will 
be  found  that  one  of  the  most  ready  and  efficient 
workers  and  far-reaching  planners  of  his  day  was 
Jedidiah  Morse.         Yours,  most  truly, 

J.  TODD. 


Funs. 


INDEX. 


Abbot,  Nehemiah,   95 

"     Samuel,  93,  95, 102,  155 

Abeel,  John  N.,  D.D.,  109,  252 

Adams,  Hannah,  276,  277 

"     John,  16,  46,  122,  125,  126,  140,  202,  224,  225, 

226,  229,  252 

"     John  (Principal  of  Phillips'  Academy)   156 

Africans,  His  Efforts  in  behalf  of,  141-143 

African  Slave  Trade,  Abolition  of,   144 

Alexander,  Archibald,  D.D.  153,  251 

Alford,  John,   129 

American  Bible  Society,  160,  161 

"  Board  C.  F.  Missions  (See  "  Foreign  Missions"),  267 
Indians,  ,^  268 

"      Revolution,  History  of,  226,  277 

"      Seaman's  Friends  Society,   271 

Ames,  Fisher,   252 

Amory,  John,  52,  53 

Andoveb  Toeological  Seminart,  18,  91-112,  267,  288 

"Andover  Associates,"   95 

"       Founders,"  *   106 

Anthology,  Monthly,  64,  65,  116 

Appieton,  Jesse,  D.D.,   59 

Arminians,  57,  79 

"Associate  Founders,"   105 

"       Statutes,"   106 

Austin,  Benj.,  Jr.,   239 

Austin,  Samuel,  D.D.,  8,  9,  30,  117,  215,  246,  251 

Backus,  Charles,  D,D.,   252 

Bacon,  Leonard,  D.D.,  19,  306-310 

Baldwin,  Thomas,  D.D,,  31,  35 


320 


INDEX, 


Paf«. 

Baltimore,   275 

Bancroft,  Aaron,  D.D.,   117 

Baptism,  Infant,  ..27,  28 

Barrington,  Lord,  .'   C2 

Barrell,  Joseph,  278 

Bartlvtt,  Mrs.  George,   30 

Burtlett,  Wra.,  94,  98,  101,  104,  1C2,  103 

Bayard,  Samuel,   ICO 

Beaufort  (S.  C.)  38,  159 

Beaumont,  Wm.,  M.D.,     178 

Beecher,  Lyman,   100 

Belknap,  Jeremy,  D.D.,  ....11,  15,  10,  22,  49,  129,  130,  108, 

193,  195,  190,  200,  203,  210,  251 

Bellamy,  Joseph,  D.D.,  '.  5,  48 

Belsham,  Thos.,  120,  122,  124 

Bentlick,  Lord,   02 

Bentley,  Wm.,  D.D.,   240 

Bible  Circulatiok,  157-102 

Bible  Societies,  207,  279 

"  Philadelphia,   279 

"  Georgia,  280 

«*  South  Carolina  280 

"  Massachusetts,  280 

**  Connecticut^   280 

«  New  York,   280 

"  New  Jersey,   280 

Blackburn,  Gideon,  D.D.,   252 

Bliss,  Geo.,  103,  270 

Blythe,  James,  D.D.,   101 

Bolingbroke,  Lord   120 

Boston  (Mass.)  Alms  House,  Chaplaincy,   143 

"       Association  of  Ministers,  Circular,. .. .22,  24, 

76,  88,  89,  119 

«         "       Old  South  Church,  270 

«*         "       Park  Street  Church,   288 

«*         •*       Recorder,  *.....  314 

«'         "       Thursday  Lecture,   24 

Boudinot,  Elias,  '.   252 

Boyd,  Ool.,   181 

Boyer,  Col.,  183,  184 

Bradstreet,  Miss.,  278 

Breeze,  Elizabeth  Ann,  •<  ,   14 


INDEX. 


321 


Pago. 

Breeze,  Samuel,  15,  140 

]{rnokHel(l  Association,   78 

Brown,  John,   40 

Brown,  Moses,  94,  101,  104 

Brown,  Oliver,   143 

Br3'ant,  Lemuel,   4G 

Buck  minster,  Joseph,  D.D.,  76,  251 

Bunker  Hill,   16 

Bunler,  George,  D.D.,  65,  68,70,  98,  150,  151 

Burr,  Aaron,  48,  54 

Calhoun,  John  C,  171-191,  253 

Calvinists,  67,  79,  94 

Caml.ri<lge,  20,  95 

Campbell,  ,  D.D.,  169-171 

Cany,  Matthew,   206 

Cary,  Richard,  13,  14,  21,  22,  226 

Catechism,  Westminster  Assembly's,.... 23,  31,  78,  84,  86,  94, 

97,  273 

Cerography,   222 

Chalmers,  Dr.,   278 

Channing,  William  Ellery,  D.D.,  120,  143 

Chapin,  Calvin,  D.D.,   102 

Chaplin,  Daniel,  D.D.,   155 

Charleston  (S.  C.)  Bible  Society,   159 

Charlestowm  (Mass.),  11-15,  20,  21,  32 

**             '*       Association  for  Ref.  Morals,   107 

«            "      Navy  Yard,   139 

Chauncey,  Charles,  D.D     57 

Che.'^ter,  John,  D.D.,  173,  182,  184 

Chesterfield  on  Politeness,   3 

Chicago,   170 

Child,  Sarah,   1 

Christian  Observer  (London),  Letter  of  Editor,  68,  09 

Chronicle  (Boston),  Independent,   240 

City  Mis.sions,   271 

Clark,  Samuel,  D.D.,   125 

Clinton,  De  Witt  168,  169,  177,  271,  286 

Cobbett,  Wm.,   2.53 

Codman,  John,  D.D  114-119,  156 

Collier,  William,   35 

Collins,  Anthony,   126 


822 


PiDBX. 


Gdllman.  Benf „  P.D.,  .60,  61,  62 

Colonmtion,..,...,  148,267,  274,  275 

Connecticut  Gen.  Association,  72,  73,  74 

*'  Consociations,"  defined,  attempt  to  form,   90 

Coombs.  William,  ,   155 

Cooper,  William,  D.D.,  116 

Copyright  Lavr,  Enacted,  201 

"         "     Suit  for  violating,  216-218 

Cotton,  John,   24 

Cranch,  Richard,  '.  47 j  125 

Cuffee,  Capt.  Paul,  145,  146,  147,  267,  274 

Cutler,  Manassah,  D.D.,  142,  251 

Daggett,  David,  241,  247 

"  Dallas,"  Revenue  Cutter,   182 

Dana,  Daniel,  D.D.,  107,  297,  302 

"     Francis,  252 

"     Joseph,  D.D.,   155 

Davis,  Uenry,  D.D.,   251 

"     Hon.  John,  270 

Deerfield  (Mass.),   7 

Delaware  Indians,  168,  1C9 

Desnguliers,  John  T.,  213 

Desau.ssure,  Henry  W.,  252 

Devens,  Richard,  152,  278,  279 

Dexter,  S.,   252 

Dobson,  Thos.  ,  223 

Doddridge,  Phillip,  D.D.,  152,  154 

DOBCHESTEK  COXTKOVKRST  (1811,  1812),  115-^120 

Dublin,  203 

Dutton   241 

D wight,  S.  E.,  220,  221 

Dwight,  Timothy,  D.D.,  ..66,  72,  97,  101,  102,  107,  162,  202, 

236,  241,  248,  251,  292,  293,  295 

East  Haven  (Ct.)   7 

East  India  Co.,   164 

Ebehng,  Prof.,  209,  212,  238,  239,  240,  253 

Eckley,  Joseph,  D.D.,  16,31,  74 

Eclectic  Review  (London),    69 

Edinburgh  (Scot.),  17,  203 

Edwards,  Jonathan.  D.D.,  6,  9 

"  "      (Elder),  30,  47,  152 


INDEX. 


323 


Pn^e. 

"  Election-Week,"  term  defined,   78 

Eliot,  John,  D.D.,   16 

"    R.  R.,   117 

Elizabethtown  (N.  J.),  15,  200 

Em  iG BANT  SociKTT  (Mass.)f  137-139 

Emmons,  Nathaniel,  D.D.,  71,  82,  96,  97,  101,  251 

Eml}  n,  Thos.,  47,  50,  54.  125 

Eric  Canal,   176 

Erskine,  John,  D.D.,  31,  152,  205,  231,  234,  253,  289 

Evan<^lic«l  Magazine  (London),   65 

Evarts,  Jeremiah  71,  72,  126,  156,  267,  272 

Farmington(Ct.)>  •  •   7 

Farrar,  Samuel,...  95,  101,  156 

Fay,  Rev.  Warren,    44,  45 

Finley,  James,  E.  B.,  Dr.,   38 

"     Rebecca,   15 

"     Samuel,  D.D.  15,  245 

Flinn  Andrew,  D.D.,   252 

FoREir.N'  Missions,  162,  166,  267 

Forbes,  Eli,  D.D.,  76,  81 

Fort  Armstrong,   179 

Foster,  D wight,   232 

Foxriou,   183 

Freehold  (N.  J.),   17 

Freeman,  James,  D.D.,  48,  49,  53,  55,  120,  121,  208,  209 

Freemasons,   235 

Freeport  (Me  ),   150 

French,  Jona.,  D.D.,  95,  107,  155 

"     Consul,  St.  John  198,  201 

Infidelity,  233,  237 

"     Intrigue,   232 

Gannett,  Caleb,   155 

Gay,  Ebenczer.,  D.D.,   46 

Gazette,  N.  Y.,  233 

Gazetteer,  first  conceived,  ,  194,  195,  196 

"       Published,  214,215,219 

Geography,  various  nlitions,  192,  222 

Georgia,  10,  141,  193 

Gerry,  El  bridge,  237 

Gilman,  John  T.,  Gov.,   134 


324 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Goodrich,  Elizur,  241 

Goodwin,  Ed.  Coorant,  241 

Gordon,  Wm.,  D.  D.,   236 

Gore,  Hon.  Christopher,  275 

Gorhtm,  Nath.,  13,  29,  30,  230 

Grant,  Chas.,  164,  105 

Gravesande,  Wm.  James,  213 

Gray,  James,  D.D.,    158 

Green,  Ashbel,  D.D.,  66,  73,  75,  92,  176,  251 

Green  Bay,  179,  182,  183,  184 

Greenfield  (Ct.)   72 

Greenough,  AVm.,  44,  117,  155,  279 

Griffin,  Edw.  D.,  D.D.,  108,  109,  110,  113,  115,  163,  251 

Guthrie,  Wm.,  213 

"  his  geography,   192 

Hall,  Rev.  Gordon,   163 

Hall,  James,  D.D.,  252 

Hamilton  (Mass.),   142 

Alex.,  .216,  217,  229,  252 

Hampshire  (Mass.)  Missionary  Society,   154 

Harper,  James,  Brothers,   222 

Robt.  G.,  232,  252 

Harri.s,  Thad.  M.,  D.D.,   31 

Han  ard  (Mn.ss.),   44 

"       College,  17,22,66,58,  95 

Has.sel,   221 

Hatfield  (Mass.),   154 

Hazard,  Ebenezer,  11,  16,  195,  200,  203,  247 

Heumienway,  Moses,  D.D.,  28,  150,  251 

Herbert,  Lord,   126 

Higginson,  jr.,  Stephen,   143 

Hilliard,  Timothy,   16 

Historical  Society,  Mass.  117,  130,  211 

Hobart,  Xoah,   48 

Hobbes,  Thos.,   120 

HoUey,  Myron,   177 

Hollingshead,  Wm.,  D.D.,  252 

HoUis,  Thomas,  59,  60,  61,  65 

"     Professor  of  Divinity,   18 

Holmes,  Abiel,  D.D.,....4,  8,  9,  25,  59,  81,  113,  114,  155,  168,  246 
History  of  New  England,  summary,   276 


INDEX. 


325 


History  of  New  England,  compendium  275,  277,  278 

Homer,  Rev.  Jona......   44 

Hopkins,  Samuel,  D.D.  (of  Hadley)  80,  81 

"  "        "    (of  Newport),   48 

Hopkinsianism,   110 

Ilopkinsians,  66,  67,  70,  96,  97,  103 

Ho])kiiisian  Seminary,  95,  99 

Humboldt,  Baron  Wm.,  ...187,  188 

Hunt,  Jeremiah,  D.D.,   62 

Huntijigton,  Jed'h,   162 

Joshua,   114 

Hutchins,  Capt.  Thos.,  194,  195 

Hutchinson,  ,   278 

Illuminati,  234,  235,  238 

Indians,  Society  for  benefit  of,   189 

Infant  Baptism,  27,  28 

Inquisition,   126 

Isles  of  Shoals  (N.  H.),   131 

Jackson,  Joseph,   16 

Janeway,  Jacob  J.,  D.D.,   159 

Jay,  John,  130,  160,  225,  229 

"     "    Burnt  in  Effigy,   230 

"     "    Letters  from,  237,  238 

"    William,  ....161 

Jefferson,  Thos.,  38,  122,  126,  202,  216,  252 

Jenks,  Wni.,  D.D.,   211 

Jcnner,  Dr.  D.,   272 

Jesuits   126 

Johnson,  Alfred   150 

Jones  (Comptroller),   130 

"    Joseph  H.,  D.D.  *   160 

Judson,  Adoniram,  D.D.,   163 

Keith,  Isaac  S.,  D.D.,  38,  252 

Kemp,  ,  D.D.,  57,  136 

Kendall,  Samuel,  D.D.,   117 

Kent,  James,  216,  217,  252 

Kettell,  Thos.,   278 

King,  Walter,   30 

Kirkland,  John  T.,  D.D.,  143,  279 


326 


INDEX. 


Tag*. 

Knapp,  Capt.,   182 

Koester,  (Sec  Erekine's  Tracts),  234 

KoUock.  Henry,  D.D.,  110,  112,  115,  252 

KoUock,  Lemuel,  M.D.,   38 


Lang,  John,  233 

Larkin,  John,   13 

Lathrop,  Joseph,  D.D.,  .28,  83,  94,  118,  119,  150,  251,  278 

Lettsoni,  John,  M.D.,  253,  273 

Lindsey,  Theopholus, . . . .  a  49,  120,  121,  122 

Linn,  Wm.,  D.D.,  64,  252 

Little,  Thomas,   17 

Livingston,  John,  D.D.,   252 

'*        Gov.  Wra.,  His  Letter,  197,  198 

Low,  Rev.  John,   135 

Lowell,  John,  252 

,  Lush,  Dr.  ,   49 

Lyman,  Rev.  Eiiphalet,   IC 

Lyman,  Joseph,  D.D.,.. 78,  79,  80,  82,  88,  117,  142,  154,  162,  176 

242,  288 

Macaulay,  Zachary,  68,  69,  253 

McKeen,  Joseph,  D.D.,   251 

 ,  179,  180,  181 

McKnight,  John,  D.D.,  252 

Macomb,  Gen.,   179 

Macon,  Nathaniel,   252 

Madison,  James,  189,  212,  252 

McWhorter,  Alexander,   252 

Marlboro' (Eng.),   1 

Marshpee  Indians,   130 

Martha's  Vineyard,   130 

Martin  Islands,   181 

Mason,  John  M.,  D.D.,  114,  160,  252 

Massachusetts  Convention,  72,  73,  74 

"          Address,   76 

Massachusetts  Emigrant  Society,  137-139 

Massachusetts  Gexesal  Association',  72-91,  97,  109 

Historical  Society,  117, 130,  21 1 

Missionary  Magazine,  66,  70 

Mather,  Cotton   90 

Mairell,  Gov.  C.  W.,  146,  275 


INDEX. 


327 


Pape. 

May,  Ilezekiah,  227,  243 

"    Col.  John,   140 

Mnyhcw,  Jona.,  D.D.,.  40,  47 

Mcndon  Association,   83 

Mcnominces  Indians,  Attempt  to  defraud  defeated,. ...  183,  184,  185 

Mercury  newspaper,   242 

Miami  Indians,   168 

"     County  Bible  Society,   100 

Midway,  Geo.,  8,  10,  38 

Miller,  Samuel,  D.D.,  04,  74,  98,  108,  112,  251 

"     Thomas,   13 

Mitchell,  S.  L.,  M.D.,   252 

Monroe,  James,   174 

Monthly  Review  (London),   207 

Morse,  Anthony,   1 

"     Mrs.  E.  A.,  14,  15,  19,  38,  245,  289,  294,  314,  315,  316 

"     Esq.,  Jedidiah,   1 

"     Peter   1 

"     R.  C,  176,  222,  246,  284,  290 

"     S.  E.,  222,  246,  209,  284,  314 

"     S.  F.B^  24(j,  209 

"         "       Letter  of,  200-2(38 

Muir,  James,  D.D.,   12 

Napoleon,   126 

Narragansett  (R.  I.),   130 

Navy  Yard  (See  Charlestown),  

Neaie  278 

Negroes  (See  Africans),..  

Ncpean,  Sir  Evan   106 

Newell,  Samuel,   103 

New  Bedford  (Mass.),  146,  274 

Newbury  (Ma.ss.),  1,  26,  83,  94,  101,  102 

Newburyport  (Mass.),  94,  101,  104,  134 

New  England,  Art.  in  Encycl.,   223 

"         Comp.  Hist.,    224 

Palladium,  241,  242 

Newgate,  217 

New  Uampshire  Convention   72 

New  Haven  (Ct.),  6,  10,  18,  19,  283 

«        (monument)  176,  226,270,  283 

Newman,  Mark,  .•   95 


328 


INDEX, 


,  New  Roxbury  (CU)   1 

Newtown  (Mass.)> ••v-   24 

New  York   11 

Nisbet,  Charles,  D.D.,  236,  251 

Noddle's  Island,   140 

Norns,  John,  94,  99,  101,  104,  105 

North  American  Review,   187 

Northampton  (Mass.)   78 

Northern  Missionary  Society,  172,  182 

Norton,  Rev.  John,   24 

Norwich  (Conn.)>   7 

Norwich  Landing  (Conn.),   143 

Nott,  £li|>halet,  D.D.,  114,  115,  160,  251 

"    Rev.  Samuel,   163 

Oneida  Country,   129 

Osgood,  David,  D.D.,   16,44,81,  251 

O-sgood,  Lucy,  249,  302,  306 

Ottawa  Indians,   181 

Oxenbridge,   24 

Paine,  Rev.  Joshua,  11,  16 

Palladium  (See  New  £xgi«axd),  

Panoplist,  65-72,  89,  95,  96,  107,  116,  157,  288,  299 

Paris  Tract  Society,  280 

"    Bible  Society,   280 

"    Missionary  and  Foreign  Societies,   280 

*' Parish,"  the  word  defined,   32 

Parish,  Elijah,  D.D.,  70,  219,  223,  224,  251,  275,  277,  278 

Parker,  Isaac,   252 

PARC  Street  Church  (Boston),  112-115,  288 

Parsons,  Chief  Justice,   287 

Peabody,  Oliver   134 

Pearson,  Eliphalet,  D.D.,  92,  93,  95,  96,  98,  99,  101,  102, 

103,  105,  107,  108,  110,  155,  238,  251 

Penobscot  (Me.),   130 

Perkins,  Nathan,  D.D.,  28,  138 

Philadelphia  (Pa.),  139,  140,  275 

Phillips,  John,     155 

"      Samuel,  26,  58,  151,  252 

"      William,  143,  151,  158 

Phillips*  Academy,  93,  94,  96,  101,  102,  151,  270,  299 


INDEX. 


329 


Pajrc. 

Pickering,  John,  LL.D.,   1^7 

Pierce,  Capt.,  

Pike,  Nicholas,   252 

Pinckney,  Charles  Cotesworth,.  38,  159,  247 

Pinckney's  Island  (S.  C).   38 

Piiikerton,   221 

Piatt,  Jonas,   177 

Piuiner,  William,  252 

Plymouth  (Mass.),   23 

Porter,  Ebenezer,  D.D.,   167 

Portsmouth  (N.  U.),  131,133,  134 

Prairie  du  Chien,   179 

Prentiss,  Thomas,  D.D.,   117 

Presbyterian  General  Assembly,  72,  73,  74,  90,  109 

Price,  Richanl,  D.D.,  49,  204,  253 

Priestley,  Joseph,  D.D.,  49,  122,  126,  137,  2.53 

Prince  Edward  County  (Va.),   153 

Proudiit,  Alexander,  D.D.,   166 

Provost,  Samuel,   48 

Quincy  (Mass.),.   125 

Quincy,  Josiah,   252 


Ralston,  Robert  158,  159 

Ramsay,  Dr.  David,  194,  201,  202,  203,  247,  252,  277 

Recorder  (Boston),   314 

Reed,  John,  D.D.,   117 

Reid,  John,  216,  218 

Rcpo.sitory,  General,   127 

Rhode  Island,  130 

Rice,  John  H.,  D.D.,   100 

Rice,  Luther  '   163 

Ripley,  Rev.  David,   9 

Rippon,  ,  D.D.,  204,  253 

Robbing,  Chandler,  D.D.,  .*   23 

"      Lieutenant-Govemor,   278 

Robison,  Prof.  John,  234,  238 

Robinson,  ,  253 

Rodgers,  John,  D.D......  ....10,  28,64,74,  98,  108,  199,247,  252 

Romeyn,  John  B.,  D.D.,  109,  160,  252 

Rush,  Benj.,  M.D.,  252 


330 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Russell,  James,  13,  30 

"     Thomms,  ....29,  30,  137 

Sabbath  School,  The  first  in  Massachusetts,  269,  270,  272,  SIC 

St.  John,  French  Consul,  179,  190 

Salera  (Mass.),  89,  99 

Salisbury,  Josiah,  67,  270,  278 

Salmon.  Thomas,   213 

Saturday  Evening  Lecture  31,  273 

Savannah  (Georgia),  38,  135,  159 

Scott,  Sir  William,   233 

Seabury,  Bishop  Samuel,  D.D.,   48 

Secret  Societies,   236 

Sergeant,  John,  170,  172,  184 

Shaftsbury,   126 

Shrewsbury  (X.  J.),  15,  17 

Shutc,  Daniel,  D.D.,   46 

"    Gov.  Samuel,   62 

Sierra  Leone,  145,  275 

Silliman,  Benj.,  LL.D.  (letter),   292 

Smith,  Col.  J.,   182 

"     J.  C,  241,  247 

"     S.  Stanhope,  D.D.,  251 

Society  for  beneiit  of  Indians,   189 

"       "  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  151,  155 

"  Propagating  tUe  Gospel,  128-137,  150,154 

Society,  Massachusetts  Emigrant,  137-139 

Spring,  Samuel,  D.D.,.  ..71,  82,  83,  94,  99,  100,  101,  103,  105, 

107,  162,  1C3,  251 

Spy,  Worcester,  238,  239 

Stafford,  Ward,  270,  271,  272 

State  Prison.  Chaplaincy,  148,  149 

Stevens,  Jo.siah,  «   135 

Stiles,  Ezra,  D.D.,  3,  9,  10,  203 

"     hU  letter,  213,  247,  251 

Stillman,  Samuel.  D.D.  31,  35,  201 

Stockbridge  Indians,  168,  169,  172,  184 

Stockdale,  John,  201,  203,  206,  216,  217,  219 

Stoddert,  Benj.,   139 

Stone  Chapel  (Boston)   121 

Storrs,  R.  S.,   247 

Street,  Nicholas,   9 


INDEX. 


331 


Papa. 

Strong,  Caleb,   103  . 

Stuart,  Charles,   178 

"     Moses,  42,  126,  163,  251 

Sullivan,  the  ne?r<5,   141 

"     Got.  James,  144,  148,  149 

Sunbury  (Ga  ),   38  if 

Sunday  Evening  Lecture,   142 

Sword,  T.  &  J.,   215 

Talleyrand,  268,  280,  281,  289 

Tappan,  David,  D.D.,  17,  26,  58,  86,  236,  238 

Taylor,  Charles  (of  London),   97 

Tennessee,  Tracts  sent  to   152 

Tenney,  Samuel,  M.D.,   134 

Thanksgiving,  Sermon  of,  198,  231 

Thacher,  Peter,  D.D.,  16,  30,  31,  129,  135,  136,  251 

"      Thomas,   117 

Thomas  &  Andrews,..   206 

Thomas,  Isaiah,   213 

Thursday  Lecture  (Boston),                                             24,  50 

Thurston,  William,   113 

Tillotson,  ,   57 

Titcomb,  Senator,   59 

Toulmin,  ,  ,  205 

Tracts,  Religious,  150,  157 

Tract  Society,  American,  156,  267,  274,  279,  280 

"          London,   150 

Treadwell,  John,  155,  162,  252 

"  True  Reasons  "(pamphlet),  18,  59-64 

Trumbull,  Bcnj.,  D.D  ,  224,  225,  278 

"       Jonathan,  2,  198 

"      John  (the  poet),   253 

Tucker,  St.  George,  211,  212 

Tyng,  Dudley  A.,  v..  131,  134,  135 


Union  Association,   89 

Unitarian  Church  (Charlesto\m),    41 

Unitariani.sm,..;  ,,,,  41  ^  45 

"  Unitarianism,  American"  (pamphlet,  1815),  120-127 

Unitarians,   57 

United  Foreign  Miss.  Society  (N.  T.),   172 

United  States,  History  of,   226 


332 


INDEX. 


Vaccination,   272 

Van  Reiissclaer....   177 

"  Visitorial  Plan  of  Union,"  103,  106 

VolUire,  ^   126 

Wales,  Samuel,  D.D.,  *  ....6,  9 

Walk-in-the- Water  (boat),   178 

Wallace,  AVilliam,   160 

Walle}-,  S.  n   162 

Wardawr,  Ralph,  D.D.,   253 

Ware,  Henry,  D.D.,                               59,  62,  92,  116,  127,  298 

Ward,  Artcuias,   278 

Washington,  George,  16,  32 

"     Letters,.  208,  216,  232,  241,  252 

Waterhouse,  Dr.,   272 

Waterland,  Dr.  Daniel,   125 

Watson,  Elkanah,   177 

Watts'  Catechism,  23,  54 

Watts'  Divine  Songs,  54,  55 

Webster,  Daniel,   286 

Noah,  214,  217,  253 

Welch,  Thomas,  M.D.,   30 

Wells,  William,  137,  205,  218,  219 

"    Jr.,  William,  120,  121,  219 

Wheelock,  Eleazor,   203 

White  Kiver  (Ind.),  168,  169 

Whittlesey,  Chauncey,   9 

Whittemore,  Thomas,   302 

Wiggles  worth,  Edward,  D.D.,  47,  61 

Wilberforce,  William,  68,  69,  164,  225,  253,  289 

Wilder,  S.  V.  S.,  273,  274,  280,  281 

Willard,  Joseph,  D.D.,  58,  73,  80,  81,  86 

Williams,  Eleazer,   184 

"       Nathap,  D.D.,  28,  150 

"       Thomas,   143 

Williamsburg  (Va.),   211 

Williston,  Noah,   9 

Wilmer,  S.,   160 

Wilson,  John,  20,  24 

Wiadcor  (Mass.),  83,  101 

Winterbotham  . .   216,  217 

Woolcott,  Oliver,  241,  252 


INDEX.  .  333 

Page. 

Woodbndge,  William,   14 

AVoodhuU,  John,  D.D.,   17 

Woods,  Leonard,  D.D.,  70, 83,  95, 96.  98,  99,  102,  107,  108,  120, 

163,  251 

Wool,  General,   179 

Woodstock  (Ct.)  .•  1,  285 

Worcester,  Spy,  238,  239 

Samuel,  DD.,. . . .  115,  117,  126,  162,  163,  252,  267,  272 
Wyandotte  (O.),   130 

Yale  College,  .2,  203,  270 


Pnntrior  Theological  Seminary-Spw  LiD'ary 


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